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I LIMARY^COXGRESS. }L <>} 



^UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.. 




SERMONS AND ADDRESSES OF OUR SAVIOUR 



THE 



FOURTH TEAR 



OF THE 



GRADUATED 



STODAY-SCHOOL TEXT-BOOKS. 





BY 



CHARLES E. KNOX, 

Author of "A Year with St. Paul." 



NEW-YORK : 

A-isrsoisr d. in. eandolph, 

110 Broadway. 



1866. 






Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1S66, by 

ANSON D. F. RANDOLPH, 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the 
Southern District of New-York. 



John A. Gray & Green, 
Printers, Stereotypers, and Binders^ 

16 and 18 Jacob Street, New-York. 



I^TTEODUOTIOK. 



The first three books of this series contain, it is believed, a simple, 
unconfused and full outline of our Saviour's life. They advance 
from the simplest stories of Matthew to some of the profounder doc- 
trines interwoven with the narratives of John. This Fourth Year 
now takes up the principal Sermons and Addresses of our Lord, gives 
them their place in the order of his life, describes the scenes in which 
they were spoken, and gives the purpose and scope of the whole ad- 
dress, as well as the meaning of verse by verse. The attempt is to 
reproduce as nearly as possible, and as much as can be done within 
the limits of a book of questions, the original force of these dis- 
courses in their unity and in their detail, as it was felt when they 
were first spoken. 

Explanation of the Scripture has been given, therefore, among 
the questions whenever it seemed to make the Scripture more 
clear. Many of these illustrations have been taken freely from a 
wide range of reading in the most recent writers on ' The Land and 
the Book.' The literal thought of many a quotation has been pre- 
served, while the literal words have not. 

It will be found that there is a very decided advance from the 
Third Year ; and it is believed that, to master these lessons, scholars 
who have not had the discipline of the other books of the series will 
need to be somewhat older than those who have thoroughly followed 
the series. The great value of regularity and of a gradual increase, 
little by little, in the strength of the subject and in closeness of the 
study required by the questions, will not fail to show itself by the 
time the scholar comes through the Primary, the Second, the Third 
Years, into the Fourth Year. 

The system of references which was begun in the Third Year i3 
made more critical and comprehensive in this. The teacher will 



IV INTEODUCTIOK. 

do his scholars a valuable service if he will insist that every reference 
be found and read. The habit of studying by reference should now 
be more fully formed for future years. 

The teacher is requested to notice that the directions to the child 
at the head of the lessons in the previous years, to commit the lesson 
to memory and to review the preceding lesson, are omitted. It is by 
no means intended that the committing of the verses and the reviews 
at every lesson should be omitted, or even indifferently required. 
Let every lesson and every verse be thoroughly committed, and let 
the reviews every Sunday go over as many lessons as possible. 

If, during the week before each quarterly review, the pastor or the 
superintendent will meet the classes of the Primary, the Second, the 
Third, the Fourth Departments, at a separate time appointed to each 
department, to hear them recite the quarterly lesson, he will find it a 
decided help to exactness of memory, a general stimulant to study, as 
well as a natural and most available opportunity for acquaintance 
with the mental and religious character of each child. 

The Fifth or Senior Year will contain psalms, songs, prayers, and 
prophecy from those parts of the Scripture which have always been 
most precious to the Christian experience. 

The book of Acts, as a most entertaining and fascinating part of 
the Bible, is held in reserve for those sensitive years during which 
our young people are tempted to leave the Sunday-school. It occu- 
pies in the plan, the first two years of the Bible-clais series. 

Bloomfield, N. J., December, 1865. 



THE FOURTH TEAR 



THE SEK10I OX THE MOUNT. 

THE GOSPEL ACCOBDING- TO ST. MATTHEW. 

CHAPTER V 

1. And seeing the multitudes, lie went up into a mountain : and 
when he was set, his disciples came unto him : 

2. And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, 

S. Blessed are the poor in spirit : for iheirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

4. Blessed are they that mourn : for they shall he comforted. 

5. Blessed are the meek : for they shall inherit the earth. 

6. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness : 
for they shall he filled. 

7. Blessed are the merciful : for they shall obtain mercy. 

8. Blessed are the X3ure in heart: for they shall see God. 

Tnrs Sermon on the Mount begins with this chapter, and 
goes through three chapters. What mountain it was on which 
our Saviour spoke it, we do not know. We know that it was 
in Galilee, for Jesus was then going through Galilee ; and we 
know that- it was not far from the city of Capernaum, for 
when he came down from the mountain, he went directly into 
Capernaum. Whatever mountain it was, it was in the very 
beautiful country of Galilee, and not far from the beautiful 
Lake of Galilee — a land of hills and valleys and many kinds of 
trees and fruits — walnut and palm and fig and olive trees. 
We should think not of a very high mountain, but of a small 



4 THE FOURTH TEAPv. 

mountain or high hill, with a flat place where the people could 
stand. You should think of a beautiful landscape, lying in 
little valleys and hills, a clear sky without clouds, such as they 
have in that land, and perhaps of the blue lake to be seen a 
few miles away. The Saviour and the multitude were in the 
most beautiful part of Palestine. 



Why are these chapters called the Sermon on the Mount ? 

How many chapters are in the sermon ? 
Do we know what mountain is meant in the third verse ? 

How do we know near what place it was ? See chap- 
ter viii : 1 and 5, and Luke vii : 1. 

We suppose that Jesus preached this sermon after he came 
back to Galilee from his second journey to Jerusalem. He 
had healed, at Jerusalem, the lame man at the pool of Bethesda, 
and the Jews at Jerusalem hated him for it. He came back 
to Galilee. There he chose his twelve disciples, and then 
preached this Sermon on the Mount. After he came down 
from the mountain, he healed the servant at Capernaum, raised 
to life the widow's son at Nain, stilled the storm" fed the five 
thousand people with bread, walked on the water, fed the four 
thousand, was transfigured on the mountain, and went back to 
Jerusalem to the Feast of the Tabernacles. 

In what part of Jesus 7 life did he preach this sermon ? 

Tell me any miracles which he did just before it and 
just after it ? 

To whom did he preach it ? 
How long had the twelve disciples been chosen ? 
When Jesus sat dozen to speak, did he do differently 
from other teachers ? Answer. It was - the custom 
among the people for the teacher or preacher to sit, 
and foi the scholars or listeners to stand. 
Why is it said, in the second verse, that, when he taught 
them, he ' opened his mouth ' ? It was their way of saying 
that he began to say something of more than common import- 
ance. 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 5 

Jesus was going to speak, through ail this sermon, of what 
his religion would he, and what men must do to be his disci- 
ples, and what his disciples must teach others. There are 
several parts of the sermon, but this is the one thing which he 
teaches through all the parts. The first part is from the third 
verse through the sixteenth, and is called the Beatitudes, or 
Happinesses — that is, the Happy Virtues of his kingdom. 

What did Jesus wish to teach through all his ser- 
mon ? 
Why is the first part of this sermon called ' the Beatitudes ' ? 
Bepeat the first Beatitude. 
Is poor in spirit different from lowly in spirit ? 

To be poor in spirit, is to feel that we have nothing good in 
ourselves : that in all spiritual and religious feelings and 
thoughts and words, we are nothing and have nothing, in the 
sight of God. 

What is the kingdom of heaven ? 
Can they have the kingdom of heaven who are not 
poor in spirit ? 

Is it the poor or the rich who have most power in the 
kingdoms of earth ? 

What does blessed mean ? 
What is the second Beatitude ? 

Are people who mourn commonly thought to be 
blessed ? 

Why will being comforted make them blessed or 
happy ? 

Can persons who have never mourned really know 
what comfort is ? 
In the third Beatitude, who are meant by ' the meek 7 ? 
The lofty-minded and ambitious, and those who show their 
great deeds and great importance, are the persons who have 
power in earthly kingdoms ; but in Jesus' kingdom, it is the 
gentle and the mild, and those who are not revengeful. 
Repeat, from the Old Testament, the promise of this verse. 
See Psalm xxxvii : 11. 



6 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

' Inherit the earth' is the same as 'inherit the land,' mean- 
ing the promised land of Canaan, while the Jews were in the 
wilderness. 7t was a way in which they spoke when they 
wished to say a man would have sure possession of a thing. 
The meaning, then, is, that the meek shall surely have the 
kingdom. 

Explain the meaning of hunger and thirst after righteous- 
ness, in the fourth Beatitude. 

What kind of hunger and thirst is this ? Answer, 
Head Amos viii : 11, and Psalm xlii : 1, 2. 
What is it to fill hunger and thirst ? 

Thirst, in those hot and sandy regions gave to the people 
the idea of the most intense desire. 

Who are ( the merciful,' in the fifth Beatitude ? 
From whom will they obtain mercy ? 
What will those persons who are not merciful obtain ? 
Read James ii : 13. 
Who are l the pure in heart,' in the sixth Beatitude ? 

Do those who are impure in heart wish to see God ? 
Why should seeing God make the pure in heart 
blessed ? 

A person always has pleasure from seeing one who is like 
himself in feelings and thoughts and purposes ; and as God is 
perfectly pure in heart, those who love and try to have purity 
of heart, will have the greatest pleasure in seeing God. 

To see the face of an earthly sovereign, had been thought by 
the Jews to be the highest honor ; to look upon the face of the 
heavenly King, was a thing of the highest desire, and was the 
state of perfect blessedness. Read Esther i : 14, and Psalm 
xvii : 15. 



THE FOURTH YEAE. 



9. Blessed are the peacemakers : for they shall be called the child- 
ren of God. 

10. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake : 
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

11. Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, 
and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. 

12. Sejoice, and be exceeding glad : for great is your reward in 
heaven : for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. 

IS. Ye are the salt of the earth : but if the salt have lost his savor, 
wherewith shall it be salted ? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to 
be, cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 

14. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot 
be hid. 

15. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on 
a candlestick ; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 

16. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good 
works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. 

What is a peacemaker ? 

In the kingdoms of earth, makers of war — great generals 
and heroes — have been most honored, and have been thought 
blessed by most men ; but Jesus shows that in the kingdom 
of heaven, makers of peace are honored and blessed, and 
makers of war are not. 

Can a person be peaceful without being a peace- 
maker ? 

What is God sometimes called which makes it espe- 
cially proper for peace-makers to be called the children 
of God ? Answer. See Romans xv : 33, Colossians i : 20, 
and 1 Thessalonians v : 23. 

The Jews thought that their Messiah, when he should come, 
would lead them to war against their enemies, and would have 
the glory of great victory over them ; but Jesus did not bless 
war-makers. 

What is i righteousness ' in c righteousness' sake ' ? 
What is meant by l righteousness' sake ' ? 



8 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

Are the poor in spirit, the mourners, the meek, the 
merciful, the pure in heart, and the peace-makers, those 
who have righteousness ? 

To whom does the kingdom of heaven belong ? 

Is persecution a bad act or continuing to do many 
bad acts ? 

Is it a sign that a man is a good man decause he is 
persecuted ? 

The kingdom of heaven is that spiritual kingdom of which 
God in heaven is King. This kingdom may be throughout all 
the world : it may be in heaven: it may be through the uni- 
verse: it may be in your heart, if God is king there. Those 
who are righteous, and who are willing to bear suffering for 
righteousness' sake, have it in their hearts already, and will 
see their King in the great day of glory. 

What is the difference between l reviling ' and ' persecuting' ? 
If all manner of evil is said against you truly, are 
you blessed ? 

Is this Beatitude different from the last, or does it, 
with that, include all the others ? 
What two reasons are given why we should be glad when 
we are persecuted ? 

Which one of the reasons refers to heaven ? 
Which one refers to earth ? 
Which one refers to the future ? 
Which one refers to the past ? 

Which one of these reasons helped the prophets who 
were persecuted through their troubles ? 

When, then, you are in trouble for righteousness' sake, it is 
the poorest way to keep thinking of the trouble itself. We 
should think that all the good, in the past, have always had 
such troubles, and that we are no better than they, and that 
heaven itself is our great reward, worth more than the trouble. 

What are the two things to which our Saviour likens his 
disciples, in the thirteenth and fourteenth verses ? 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 9 

Jesus has now told his disciples who are truly blessed ; and 
he now tells them that they are to Jceej) and malce Jcnown these 
Happy Virtues of his kingdom. Salt keeps from decay ; liglii 
makes itself known. T\iqj must be the salt and the light of 
the world. 

What does * } 7 e are the salt of the earth' mean ? 
What does 'his savor' mean ? See Mark ix : 50. 
In the words, 'wherewith shall it be salted,' what 
does ' it ' mean ? 

If salt has lost its saltness, can you salt it again? 

In some parts of Palestine, salt is found, which loses its 
saltness if you leave it open to the air and the sun and the 
rain ; and after that, it is good for nothing but to be thrown 
into the road, 'to be trodden under foot.' 

What is this salt to preserve ? 

Can it not be preserved without it? 
What does ' Ye are the light of the world ' mean ? 

Do the disciples of the Saviour have light in them- 
selves at first, or do they get it from another ? 

Jesus said, in Jerusalem, ' / am the light of the 
world.' He said, in Galilee, ' Ye are the light of the 
world.' How do these agree ? Read John viii : 12 and 
ix : 5. 

In what respects were they like a city set on a hill ? 

Why could not the disciples be hid, if they wished 
to be? 

' The comparison to a city set on a hill would be all the 
more vivid to the hearers, as towns and villages, crowning the 
summit of surrounding heights, might be seen' from many 
parts of the land. As these cities were seen at a great dis- 
tance, and could not be hid by things around them, so the fol- 
lowers of the Saviour could not be hid, however much they 
might wish to be. 

If they were lights, then, why ought they to be set in a 
prominent place ? 



10 THE FOURTH YEAB. 

In that 'country, if a person wished to leave the room with 
the light, he would cover it with some hollow vessel, often 
with the vessel used for measuring grain — the bushel— which 
was in every house. 

If Jesus is the True Light which kindles the light of 
his followers, what must they do with the light ? 

Can you give any practical ways in which the fol- 
lowers may put their light under a bushel ? 

Give any practical ways in which they put it on a 
candlestick. 
For what two purposes should they let their light shine ? 

Should you let your light shine simply to let men see 
your good works ? 

In another part of this sermon, Jesus told his disciples that 
they should not do their good works (alms and prayer and 
fasting, chapter vi : 1, 5, 1C) to be seen of men. How does 
that agree with this ? 

Can a person have his good worlcs seen, without hav 
ing himself seen ? 



Cljirfr Stmbag, 



17. Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets : 
I am not come to destroy but to fulfil. 

18. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or 
one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 

19. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least command- 
ments, and shall teach men so, he shall he called the least in the king- 
dom of heaven : but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same 
shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 

20. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed 
the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case 
enter into the kingdom of heaven. 

21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt 

not kill ; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 

22. But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 11 

without a cause, shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever 
shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council : but 
whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. 

23. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there reniem- 
berest that thy brother hath aught against thee ; 

24. Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way ; first be 
reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. 

The Pharisees and the teachers of the Jews prided them- 
selves on being able to give the meaning of all the laws ol 
Moses; but in giving the meaning, they had added many things 
of their own, whicrrdid not belong to these laws. When Jesus 
came teaching, people would be curious to know whether he 
opposed the laws of Moses or not, and whether he opposed the 
things which had been added by their teachers or not. 
Through the rest of this chapter, you will see that Jesus ap- 
proves the law r of Moses, but opposes the additions or tradi- 
tions of the Pharisees. 

The second part of the sermon begins at this verse and goes 
through this chapter and the next, and through the first six 
verses of the seventh chapter. In the first part of the ser- 
mon, he showed what were the Happy Virtues of his kingdom, 
and how they must be kept and made known. In this second 
part of the sermon, he shows that the Happy Virtues of his 
kingdom are opposed to these false traditions which the Phar- 
isees taught. You will notice, if you look on through the 
chapter, that he speaks (1) of five laics of God, which the 
Pharisees made wrong by their traditions ; and after that he 
speaks (2) of three virtues- — alms-giving, prayer, and fasting — 
which they did in a false way ; and after that, he speaks (3) of 
two sinful habits of the Pharisees — care for and love for riches 
and worldly things too much, and the judging of others harsh- 
ly. -We will see more the meaning of these parts as we go on. 

What tw r o things did Jesus say that he had not come to 
destroy ? 

Why should any one think that he had come to 
destroy them ? 

What did he mean by c the law ' ? by ' the prophets ' ? 



12 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

Were both these read in the synagogue on the Sab- 
bath day ? Eead Acts xiii : 14, 15, and xv : 21. 

What does ' fulfil ' mean ? 

How did Jesus fulfil the law and the prophets ? 

Plow did the Pharisees and teachers destroy the law 
and the prophets by their traditions ? 
What does 4 heaven and earth pass"* mean ? 

Did this mean that heaven and earth will really pass 
away ? Eead Luke xvi : 17. 

What is a jot? a tittle ? 

1 Jot' is the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet : a tittle 
is the corner or dot of a letter. Not a letter, not a dot of the 
law shall pass away. 

Did Jesus mean by ' the law,' the law about sacrifices 
and ceremonies, or the law of the Hebrew nation, or 
the moral law, like the Ten Commandments ? 

The law about the sacrifices and ceremonies and temple, has 
passed away : the Hebrew nation and its law is no -longer in 
existence or use ; but the Ten Commandments, which were 
written, unlike the rest, on two tables of stone, and kept in 
the ark of the tabernacle and of the temple, have not passed 
away. 

Can you show how Jesus paid respect to the law on 
earth ? 
How is 'all the law' fulfilled? 

If you think 'all the law ' to mean all the three parts — the 
law of sacrifices and ceremonies, the law of the nation, and the 
law of the Ten Commandments — then the law of sacrifices and 
ceremonies was fulfilled in Jesus dying as a Lamb and a sacri- 
fice ; the law of the nation was fulfilled in keeping the nation 
in existence till the .Messiah came ; and the law of the Ten 
Commandments was fulfilled hy Jesus obeying it perfectly. 

What are meant by ' these least commandments ' ? Answer. 
Shall break a jot or tittle of the law. 

'Shall teach men so* ; shall teach men how ? 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 13 

Some of the Pharisees taught the people to keep their addi- 
tions to the law before the law itself. 

Who are the greatest and the least in the kingdom 
of heaven ? 

Who were teaching men to break some of the com- 
mandments ? Eead Matthew xxiii : 23. 
What is c your righteousness ' ? Answer. Your right living : 
your uprightness. 

In what things were the Scribes and Pharisees par- 
ticular about right living ? 

How were they careful of their righteousness ? 

The Scribes and Pharisees tried to make themselves in the 
eyes of the people the models of piety in obeying the law. 

What does c exceed the righteousness ' mean ? 

How could any one do more than the Scribes and 
Pharisees in righteousness ? 

Would this give much hope to the people of entering 
the kingdom of heaven ? 

If you will now look on through the chapter, you will see 
that there are five places in which Jesus says : c Ye have 
heard that it hath been said. 7 In five things he shows how 
these righteous Pharisees added something to the law of God, 
or took something away from it ; so that righteous as they 
pretended to be, they did not really keep God's commands. 

When was it said in old time, ' Thou shalt not kill ' ? 
But is the rest of the verse added in that place ? 
Who added it ? 

Who are meant by ' them of old time ' ? 
Did Jesus mean to say that he did not like this com- 
mand? 
' What didn't he like? - 

What does, c in danger of the judgment ' mean ? 

When God, at Mount Sinai, gave the command, ' Thou shalt 
not kill,' he meant that if any one does kill, he shall be pun- 



14 THE FOURTH YEAE. 

ishcd at the judgment-day ; but the scribes and Pharisees said, 
4 And whosoever shall kill, shall be in clanger of the court, or 
the sentence of the court, that is, the judgment of the court.' 
In this way they made the command far'less than God made it. 

Who does the Saviour say shall be in danger of the judg- 
ment ? 

If it is not right to be angry with a brother without 
a cause, is it right to be angry with a brother with a 
cause ? 

What does 'fool' mean? Answer. Empty-head, or 
blockhead. 

What is the difference between the judgment and 
the council ? Answer. The judgment is a small court, 
and the council the largest court. 

What is the meaning of ' thou fool ' ? 

A person may be angry without a cause in his heart with 
his brother, without speaking of it : that is one kind of anger ; 
he may begin to speak out his anger, angrily calling his bro- 
ther blockhead : that is a worse kind of anger ; he may grow 
so reckless in speaking out his anger as to call his brother, in 
a rage, a fool : that is the worst kind of anger. Anger in the 
heart without a cause is the beginning of murder, and those 
other kinds of anger are steps directly towards murder. 

Does Jesus say that the person who calls his brother 
a fool shall suffer hell-fire, or is in danger of hell-fire ? 

What kind of gifts were brought to the altar among the 
Jews ? 

To understand this verse and the next fully, you must think 
of the Jew bringing his sacrifice into that part of the temple, 
which was the court of the Jews. You must think of him 
standing with his sacrifice at the rail which separates that 
court from the court of the priests. You must think of him 
waiting for the priest to take his animal, and slay it on the 
altar of sacrifice. If at such a solemn time he would leave 
his gift to go for .any thing, it surely must be something of 
the greatest importance. 



THE FOURTH YE AC. 15 

What is meant by ; hath aught against thee ' ? 
Who is meant by 'thy brother' ? 
Why was the one who brought the gift to leave it at the 
altar ? 

What does c reconciled ' mean ? 
How can you apply these two verses to our worship 
in the house of God ? 



• ifoxxxih jjmtbatr. 

25. Agree with thine adversary quickly, while thou art, in the way 
with him ; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, 
and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into, prison. 

26. Verily I say unto thee. Thou shalt by no means come out thence, 
till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. 

27. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt 
not commit adultery : 

28. But I say unto you, That whosoever looketk on a woman to 
lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. 

29. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from 
thee : for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should per- 
ish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 

30. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from 
thee : for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should per- 
ish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 

31. It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him 
give her a writing of divorcement : 

32. But I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, 
saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery : 
and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. 

What is an ' adversary ' ? 

What does c while thou art in the way with him 
mean ? 

Who is meant by thine 4 adversary ' here ? Answer. 
The brother whom you have injured. 

If you had committed a crime against your adver- 
sary, for what would he deliver you to the judge ? 



10 THE FOURTH YEAE. 

For what would the judge deliver you to the officer? 
Why then should you ' agree quickly ' with your 
adversary ? 

If the person who had brought the animal for sacrifice to 
the temple and to the feast, had injured his brother, the bro- 
ther might accuse him of doing him wrong, before the judge. 
If we have done a wicked thing, like speaking angry words to 
a fellow-man, that fellow-man might be our adversary, and 
accuse us to God, our judge. 

If God be your judge, what is the punishment? 
If God condemns us to punishment, when can we ' come 
out thence ' ? 

If he should reckon our debts strictly against us, 
could we ever pay the uttermost farthing ? 
Could we ever pay any tiling f 
Which one of the ten commandments is in the twenty-sev- 
enth verse ? 

What is forbidden us in this commandment ? An- 
swer. To have impure thoughts and acts. 
How does our Saviour, in the twenty-eighth verse, say that 
this sin may be committed ? Answer. In thought as well as 
in act. 

Is a crime in the sight of God just as great ' in the 
heart ' as in the life ? 

Why is it a sin to thinJc a wrong thing as well as to 
do it ? Answer. Because the thinking of it leads to 
the doing of it. 

Is then every wicked thought in us sinful ? Answer. 
If we love it and cherish it. Satan may put wicked 
thoughts into our minds, but if we refuse to have an}^ 
thing to do with them, we do no wrong. 

1 1 cannot prevent a bird from flying over my head, but I 
can prevent his building his nest on it.' Wicked thoughts 
may come in spite of us, but they cannot stay with us in 
spite of us. 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 17 

What is meant by 'right eye offend theo, ' ? Answer. Make 
thee do wrong. 

Does this mean that if your eye looks on wicked 
things, you should pluck out the eye ? Answer. No ; 
but that you should drive away evil thoughts, though 
they be dear to you as 3 r our right eye. 
What does •' profitable ' mean ? 
What does c members ' mean ? 

What is meant here by c whole body cast into hell ' ? 
Answer. That a single sin, dear to you as the right eye, 
may cast the whole soul into hell. 
Is there any thing meant by the thirtieth verse different from 
the twenty-ninth ? 

Explain the verse. 

If a hand could do wrong, and would do wrong in 

spite of you, ought you not then actually to cut it off ? 

What is ' a waiting of divorcement ' ? Answer. The law of 

the state, dividing or separating a husband and wife, written 

on parchment or paper, and giving a man and wife permission 

to leave each other. 

Is it right for husband to leave his wife for any cause 
whatever ? 

The only reason why a husband can leave his wife to live 
with him no more, is that she is an impure, bad woman. It 
is not reason enough that she is a cruel or a neglectful or 
a hateful woman. 



JfxfHj Smtbam 



33. Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old 
time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the 
Lord thine oaths : 

34. But I say unto you, Swear not at all ; neither by heaven ; for it 
is God's throne : 

35. Nor by the earth ; for it is his footstool : neither by Jerusalem ; 
for it is the city of the great King. 



13 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

36. Neither .slialt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not 
make one hair white or black. 

37. But let your communication be, Yea, yea ; Nay, nay: for what- 
soever is more than these comets of evil. 

S3. Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a 
tooth for a tooth : 

39. But I say unto yon, That ye resist not evil*: but whosoever shall 
smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 

40. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy 
coat, let him have thy cloak also. 

41. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him 
twain. 

42. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow 
of thee turn not thou away. 

Do you think this saying, which had been said * by them of 
old time/ was taken by them from the Scriptures, or from 
what men had said ? 

What does c forswear ' mean ? Answer, To swear 
falsely. 

What is meant by ' perform thine oaths unto the 
Lord ' ? Answer. Pay to God what you have promised 
with solemn oaths or vows to do. 

It is very likely that the Pharisees said that all oaths not 
made in the name of God were of little consequence ; but that 
oaths by the name of God must be kept. 

Does our Lord say that it is ever right to swear? Answer. 
He does not mean that it would be wrong to take a solemn, 
sober oath, in court ; but that we should not swear in a 
thoughtless way, as ' by heaven,' c by earth,' c by Jerusalem.' 

Why should not men swear ' by heaven ' ? 

And why not swear by God's throne ? 

The people of that land now are fearful swearers. A trav- 
eller says : 4 Every body curses and swears when in a passion. 
They swear by the head, by their life, by heaven, and by the 
temple, or, what is in its place, the Church. The forms of 
cursing and swearing are almost infinite.' 



THE FOURTH YEAE. 19 

Whj not swear by the earth ? 

And why not by God's footstool ? 
Why not swear by Jerusalem ? 
What great king is meant ? See Psalm xlvii : 2. 
Why may you not swear ' by thy head ' ? 

What is meant when men swear * by the head ' ? 
Answer. If what I say isn't true, may I lose my head 
or my life. 

Is this any thing different from c hoping to die, 7 if I 
don't do a thing ? 

What is meant by 'couldn't make a hair white or 
black' ? Answer. That you hare not your own life in 
your hands to take or to give it ; you cannot make even 
one hair of your head grow white or black. 
What is meant by l your communication' ? 

Does this mean that you are to say only Yes or No ? 
Ansicer. It means that you are to speak the simple 
truth, without swearing that it is so. 
Many men swear because they think what they say will 
seem much stronger and truer because they use God's name 
with it. But they use God's name so thoughtlessly and flip- 
pantly that what they say is weaker for the use of it. It is 
the highest honor to your word, that it does not need any 
thing but itself to make it strong. 

Why then is c whatsoever more '.that is spoken wicked ? 

Is the rule 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth' to 
be found in the Scriptures ? Ansicer. See Exodus xxi : 23-25 ; 
and Leviticus xxiv : 19, 20. 

This law was given for a law of the Jewish nation, when the 
Jews were in the midst of wild and savage society, and when 
men took vengeance on each other. This severe law was in- 
tended to put a stop to such savage revenge ; but the Phari- 
sees still kept it, and by it helped men to gratify their revenge ; 
for they themselves punished others without the officers of 
the law punishing for them. 

How did the Pharisees change this law ? 



20 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

What did our Saviour mean by ' resist not evil ' ? 
What kind of evil ? 
What disposition does turning the left cheek when 
the right one is struck show ? 

Why is it better to bear the taunt of cowardice than 
to strike back, on the rule of ' eye for eye,' etc. ? 
1 A blow struck on the cheek was the utmost mark of con- 
tempt, such as few would dare to give to any one but a slave.' 

What did our Saviour do when he was struck ? John 
xviii:22, 23. 

What did Paul do when he was struck ? Acts xxiii 
2, 3. 
"What is meant by ' sue them at the law ' ? 

The c coat ' was the narrow uncler-garment of cotton or 
linen ; the l cloak ' was a large piece of cloth, which the peo- 
ple wrapped around themselves as a kind of overcoat. The 
cloak was much more costly than the coat. The poor Oriental 
used the cloak to cover himself with while he slept at night ; 
and it could not be taken over night from him by law. Read 
Exodus xx ii : 26, 27. Rather than have a quarrel by law 
with such a man, it were better to give up the costly as well 
as the cheap garment. 

Why could not the cloak be taken from a man at 
night ? 

Why did our Saviour say ' give it up to him ' ? 
What is" meant by l compel them to go a mile ' ? 
When the Roman Emperor sent messengers over the coun- 
try, the messenger could force a person or the person's beast, 
to go with him, if they needed him. Perhaps some man in Gal- 
ilee, whom the multitude knew, had been lately forced to go 
with such a messenger. 

What is the meaning of l twain ' ? 

Why go two miles if he forced you to go only one ? 
Answer. Because, if you really must go, it were better 
to go cheerfully beyond the distance than to be dragged 
against j r our will for even a mile. 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 21 

Are we always to give to every one that asks of us ? 
Oar Saviour meant that, rather than have a hateful, re- 
vengeful spirit towards a person who keeps coming to ask you 
for things, your disposition should be to give him what he 
asks for. 

If you refuse to give to people who would use your 
gifts badly, do you break this command ? 

If a man wishes to borrow a thing to keep it, do you 
break this command by refusing to lend ? 
The idea of the last five verses is, that c Christian love must 
make us willing to bear twice as much as the world in its in- 
justice could demand.' 



hth Suttimjj, 



48. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy 
neighbor, and hate thine enemy. 

44. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse 
you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despite- 
fully use you and persecute you ; 

45. That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven : 
for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth 
rain on the just and on the unjust. 

4G. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do 
not even the publicans the same ? 

47. And if ye. salute your brethren only, what do ye more than 
others? do not even the publicans so ? 

48. Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven 
is perfect. 

CHAPTER VI. 

1. Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of 
them : otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in 
heaven. 

2. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet 
before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, 
that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto yon, they have 
their reward. 



22 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

3. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy 
right hand doeth : 

4. That thine alms may be in secret : and thy Father which seeth 
in secret himself shall reward thee openly. 

Is this saying in the forty- third verse, in the Old Testa- 
ment? Read Leviticus xix: 18. 
Is the whole of it there ? 
"Who is meant by c neighbor ' ? 
May not your neighbor be your enemy ? 

The part, c and hate thine enemy,' was ' a tying addition 
to the command of God.' The Pharisees said that every one 
who was not a Jew was an enemy, and that every enemy 
should be hated. 

Does our Saviour say that we are to give back love or hate, 
just as it is given to us ? 

Yf ho is an ' enemy' ? 
Do you love when you bless ? 
Can you curse without hating ? 
Can you do good without loving? 
Can you pray for any one without loving him ? 
What does de-spite-fully mean : what is the longest 
syllable in it ? 

What are we, then, to give back to all persons, 
whether they love or hate us ? 

With whom are you to leave the wrong done to you ? 
Read Romans xii : 19. 
What reason does our Saviour give in the next verse why 
we are to give back love always ? 

In what respect are these children like their heav- 
enly Father ? 

In what two things does God show his love for bad 
as well as good ? 

The sun and the rain are two of the greatest blessings 
which God gives to man ; and he gives them to good and bad 
alike. 

What is the meaning of : what reward have ye ' ? Answer, 



THE FOURTH YEAE. 23 

4 What do you deserve more than any body else f 
Who were the publicans ? 

The publicans were the tax-gatherers of the Roman Empe- 
ror. It was their business to go into houses, and find out the 
amount of property, and say what the tax should be. And 
the tax was taken by the Emperor, whom the Jews hated, to 
be used for the Romans, whom the Jews called heathen. The 
publicans often made the tax larger than it ought to be, so as 
to have some of it themselves; and therefore the Jews thought 
them no better than thieves and robbers. 

Is it sometimes true, then, that the worst kind of 
bad men love those that love them ? 

Is it selfish or not to love only those that love you ? 
What is it to c salute ' a person ? 

How do we in this country salute a person in the 
morning ? 

How do the people of the East salute each other? 

What is meant by ' salute your brother only ' ? An- 
swer. Speak only to your friends, who speak to you, 
or who treat you well. 

'Jews did not salute Gentiles, as Mohammedans now in 
the East do not salute Christians.' 

When you salute a person, what do you mean ? 

Thieves and robbers and all bad men, may do as much as 
to be outwardly civil and kind to those who are civil and 
kind to them. 

Does the last verse mean that you are to be perfect 
like God in all things, or in this forgiving and loving 
spirit ? 

Is it possible for you to be perfect in the disposition 
to do this ? 

In the chapter which we have been over, our Saviour has 
taken wpjlve laws to which the Pharisees and Scribes gave 
false meanings. In the first part of chapter sixth he takes up 



24 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

three duties — alms, prayer, and fasting — which thty practised 
in a wrong manner. 

What are alms ? 

Are we never to give alms in the sight of men ? 
"What is meant by - have no reward,' etc. ? 
Did Jesus mean by f do not sound a trumpet before,' that 
men really went into the synagogues and streets to sound a 
trumpet, when they were about to give alms ? 
What is a ' hypocrite ' ? 
What is a * synagogue ' ? 
For what do these hypocrites give their alms ? 
What is ' their reward ? ' Answer. The praise of 
men. 

Does this mean that that is their only reward ? 
Does the third verse mean that we are never to let any one 
know what we give ? 

Do you think the fourth verse means that we never openly 
give any thing to another ? 

Will the open reward of -our Father be in this life or 
in another ? 



Btbmfy Sxtn&aij, 



5. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites arc : 
for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of 
the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily, I say unto you, 
They have their reward. 

6. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when 
thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret ; and 
thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 

7. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: 
for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 

8. Be not ye therefore like unto them : for your Father knoweth what 
things ye have need of, before ye ask him. 

9. After this manner therefore pray ye : Our Father which art in 
heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 

10. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in 
heaven. 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 25 

11. Give us this day our daily bread. 

12. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 

13. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil : For 
thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. 

1-1. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father 
will also forgive you : 

15. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your 
Father forgive your trespasses. 

The next thing which our Saviour speaks of after alms, is 
prayer. The Jews of that time thought that prayer held a 
higher place than alms-giving or fasting. There was public 
prayer at the temple three times a day — at nine o'clock, and 
at twelve, and at three. The people went to synagogues for 
prayer on Sabbath, Monday, and Thursday. At the hour of 
prayer, prayer was offered in the street, if the person was 
there ; and many were the forms of prayer which were taught 
to be said, at all sorts of times and for ail kinds of things. 
Prayers in the synagogue were supposed to be surer of an- 
swer than prayers at home. 

Where did Jesus say .the hypocrites loved to pray ? 

What reward did they get for praying at the corners 
of the streets ? 

4 The Pharisees probably took care that the hour fixed for 
prayer should overtake them at a cross-road, or the corner of 
the street, so that they could pray in the most public places.' 

What is meant by ' thy closet ' ? 

The private room which the Jews used for prayer was on 
the house-top, and it was, therefore, as far as possible from 
the open, noisy streets. 

Which is the better place to find out whether you 
really love to pray — the secret or the open place ? 

If God is everywhere present, what is meant by * thy 
Father which is in secret' ? 

How is it that God most commonly rewards openly 
the secret prayer ? Answer. He gives us strength for 
our open duties, in answer to our secret prayer. 
What are ' vain repetitions ' ? 



26 THE FOURTH YEAB. 

Do 3 r ou know whether ' the heathen ' now repeat the 
same things in their prayers very much ? 

The heathen of Japan and China say the name of their god 
Buddha ^over and over again. A heathen worshipper will 
sometimes say it over and over, till his breath gives out ; and 
then, just as before, will go on, saying, i Namoo-ameedabo, 
Namoo-ameedaboo, ]S^amoo-anJeedaboo, , etc., etc., etc., till his 
breath gives out again. In this way he prays by the hour, 
morning and night, his prayers being nothing but the name of 
Buddha over and over again. 

The Hindoo monks say over their sacred word, * Urn,' day 
after day. Some of them go around in circles, saying over the 
name of God, till they fall down fainting. The Mohammedans, 
in their prayers, say over some words thirty times, and others, 
hundreds of times. Some of the Roman Catholics of Italy say 
over c Hail, Mary,' to the Virgin Mary, a countless number of 
times. And just so they say the Lord's Prayer, called by its 
Latin name, Pater Noster. And when they count the string of 
beads called the rosary, they believe they say the Hail Mary 
and the Lord's Prayer, many times. 

Isn't it right for us then to repeat the same prayer 
again and again ? 

Why do the heathen think that they will be heard ? 
' Be ye not therefore like unto them ' — in what ? 

Is it the object of prayer to tell God, so that he will 
"know what we need ? 

If he knows what we need, why should we pray for 
it? 
What is the prayer called which is in the next five verses ? 

When Jesus said, c After this manner pray ye,' did 
he mean that they were always to pray in these words, 
and in no others ? 
What is the name which Jesus teaches us to call God ? 

What was the name by which God was known to 
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob ? Ansicer. Eead Exodus 
vi : o. 



THE FOURTH TEAR. 27 

What was the name by which he made himself 
known to Moses ? Answer. Exodus vi : 2, (read the 
margin in the reference Bible,) and 3. 

Why did our Saviour teach us to say ' our Father,' 
instead of 'my Father' ? 

' Which art in heaven :' The heavens are high and wide and 
pure and glorious with sun and stars and moon. God, who 
is in heaven, is high and wide in power, and pure in nature, and 
full of glory. The heavens reach further than the eye can 
reach, and their glorious lights are far beyond our reach. God 
who is in the heavens, reaches far on beyond where our minds 
reach, and his glory is far beyond what we can think of. 
Read 1 Kings viii : 27, Jeremiah xxiii : 24, and Isaiah lxvi : 1. 

Explain what is meant by ' which art in heaven.' 

What six things do you pray for in this prayer ? 

Which three of these things belong to God ? which 
three belong to man ? 

What thing, belonging to God, is the first of these 
six prayers for ? 

What does 'Hallowed' mean ? 

Which one of the Ten Commandments bids us hal- 
low the name of God ? 

Can you sincerely pray this prayer while you break 
that command ? 
What thing, belonging to God, is the second prayer for ? 

What is the meaning of ' thy kingdom ' ? Read Rom- 
ans xiv : 17. 

When you pray 'thy kingdom come,' what kingdom 
do you pray may be destroyed ? 

If you do nothing against that other kingdom, do 
you really pray for God's kingdom to come ? 
What thing of God is the third prayer for ? 

What is meant by ' thy will ' ? 
How is God's will done in heaven ? 

Even in the best of men on earth who obey God's will, 
there is still sin ; but in heaven, all obey God's will without 



28 THE FOURTH TEAR. 

Whose will is opposed to God's will being done on 
earth as it is in heaven ? 

If your will is fixed against obeying in one thing, 
can you sincerely pray this prayer ? 
What thing for man is the fourth prayer for ? 

Will not wheat grow from which to make bread, if 
you do not pray for it ? 

Why not work, then, to make it grow, without pray- 
ing for it ? 

How does asking a blessing on our food, at table, 
agree with this prayer ? 
What thing for man is the fifth prayer for ? 

What is meant by debts? Answer. See Mark xi : 
25, 26. 

What is meant by * our debtors ' ? 
What third thing for man is the sixth prayer for ? 

What is * temptation ' ? 

What does ' deliver us ' mean ? 

What other things must we do to have God help us 
against temptation ? Read Matthew xxvi : 41. 

When will we be delivered from all evil ? 

Some persons think that the prayer is, Deliver us from the 
evil one. It may mean, Lead us not into any further tempta- 
tion, but deliver us from the evil, which we are already in. 

What is the meaning of ' thine is the kingdom, and 
the power, and the glory ' ? Answer. Thou art the 
king over all things ; thou hast power over all things ; 
thou art glorious above all things. 

What is meant by ' thine ' are they for ever 1 f An- 
swer. May they be thine for ever ; or, mayest tfoou be so 
for ever. 

What is the meaning of 'Amen' ? 

Amen is a Hebrew word, and means, truly — surely. At. 
the end of prayers, it means, Let it truly be — let it surely be. 

Which one of these six prayers, in the Lord's prayer, does 
our Saviour speak of in the next verse ? 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 29 

Does ' trespasses J mean the same as ' debts/ in the 
twelfth verse ? 

What thing must we do to have God forgive us ? 

It is a great thing to have God permit us to ask forgiveness ; 
and it is a great sin to ask him to forgive us, and then refuse 
to forgive those who have injured us. 

"When may we be sure that God will forgive us ? 

If we pray the prayer of the twelfth verse, and do 
not forgive, what are we really praying that God may 
do to us ? 



<£igf;)i(j Stmbag. 



16. Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad coun- 
tenance : for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto 
men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 

17. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy 
face ; 

18. That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father 
which is in secret : and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward 
thee openly. 

19. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and 
rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal : 

20. But lay up for yourselves treasures m heaven, where neither 
moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through 
nor steal : 

21. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 

22. The light of the body is the eye : if therefore thine eye be single, 
thy whole body shall be full of light. 

23. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. 
If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that 
darkness ! 

24. !>o man can serve two masters : for either he will hate the one, 
and love the other ; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the 
other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 

Our Saviour had spoken of alms-giving and prayer ; now he 
speaks of fasting. These three things — alms-giving, prayer, 



80 THE FOURTH YExlft. 

and fasting — were the three things in -which the most self- 
righteous Jews prided themselves. 

What is it to 'fast'? 

How did the hypocrites fast ? 

What did they do to their faces ? Why ? 

What was ' their reward ' ? 

The Jews fasted on the day of Atonement. The Pharisees 
fasted very often — twice, or even four times in a week. They 
came to the synagogues poorly dressed, and pale and sad. 
Many put ashes and dust on their heads and beards, to disfig- 
ure them. They used no water to wash them, nor oil to anoint 
them, nor razor to shave the beard. If they only fasted, the 
face might not show that they were going without food ; but 
everybody would see their faces unwashed, and their hair and 
beard uncared for. 

What did Jesus tell his disciples to do when they fisted ? 
Why did he say, ' wash thy face ' ? 
Why anoint the beard ? Was it doing any thing dif- 
ferent from what they generally did ? 
What kind of fasting does God reward openly ? 

If fasting is not eating food, can a man fast and have 
it entirely secret ? 

What is 'fasting' for? 

W r hat is the open reward of secret fasting ? 

The one great thing which is wrong in men's outward reli- 
gious life, is their wish to appear before men. 

What will the wish to' appear well before men lead 

them to do in alms-giving ? What in prayer ? What 

in fasting ? 

Our Saviour now had done speaking of the three religious 

duties to which the Pharisees gave false meanings, and now, 

through the rest of this chapter, and the first six verses of 

the next, he speaks of the two open sinful haoits of the 

Pharisees — the first, caring for and loving riches and this 

world too much, and the second, judging others harshly. 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 31 

Is it not right to lay up possessions on earth ? See 
2 Corinthians xii : 14. 

Is it ever right to hoard money ? 

In what two ways does the verse say earthly posses- 
sions may be taken from us ? 

What kind of possessions does 'the moth' destroy ? 
'the rust' ? the thieves? 

Treasures of clothing were thought as much of in that coun- 
try as treasures of money. And this was the reason : The 
garments were long and flowing, and did not change with 
fashion as ours do ; and they were often costly, and were some- 
times given at death like land or houses, by the father to his 
children. If you will read 1 Kings x : 25, and Ezra ii : 69, 
and Nehemiah vii : 70, you will see that money and garments 
were both gifts. If you will read Job xxvii : 16, you will see 
how garments were hoarded like silver. And if you will read 
James v : 2, 8, you will find garments, as well as gold and 
silver, called 4 treasure.' 

How can you lay up treasures in heaven ? 

Can you lay up treasures in heaven by giving away 
treasures on earth ? . 
What kind of treasures can you have in heaven? 
What do men try to become rich for f 
Why will the heart be where the treasure is? 
What is meant by the heart ? 
How is the eye the light of the body? 

It is as if the body were a world of itself, and all its mem- 
bers d liferent parts of the world. Then the eye is the sun 
of the body, or it is the lojnp of the body. The word c light ' 
means just the same as the word candle, in that verse : 'No 
man when he hath lighted a candle.' It might read, ' hath 
lighted a light? The hand in the body does not need a light 
or an eye for itself: the eye of the body is its light. The foot 
or the arm or the leg does not need a light for itself: the e3^e 
of the body is its light, and it is the light for all parts of the 
body. 



32 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

What is meant by ' thine eye be single ■ ? Answer. 
Perfectly sound and healthy, so as to see things single, 
and not to see them double, as a diseased eye does. 

How does such a healthy eye make the whole body 

full of light ? Answer. All the members of the body 

have light, as if each had a light for itself. The hand 

knows where to take hold, as if it saw the thing to 

be taken hold of; the foot knows where to step, as if it 

saw the place to step in ; the mouth knows to whom to 

speak, as if it saw the person spoken to ; and so of the 

whole body. 

What is meant by < thine e3 r e be evil' ? Answer. If it be a 

bad eye, a. diseased eye, which sees things double, or mixes 

things together. 

How, then, is the whole body full of darkness ? An- 
sicer. No part of the whole body is sure that it is doing 
the right thing, because it sees two things or many 
things, instead of one. The hand is not sure that it is 
taking hold of the right thing, because things are min- 
gled together ; and so of the foot, etc. 

If the only organ which gives light is in darkness, 
must not the body be in total darkness ? 

Did the Saviour mean to have what he said about 
the eye, to mean any thing but the la} 7 ing up treasures ? 
Answer. Yes. He meant that a man who was trying to 
lay up riches for himself only, and trying to get heaven 
too, was like an eye that saw double ; that a man who 
tried to lay up treasures in heaven, first of all, was 
like an eye that saw things single ; that a man who 
laid up treasures on earth, without thinking at all for 
heaven, was like an eye that could not see at all — a 
light that was darl&ness — and how great is that dark- 
ness ! 

The next verse shows that Jesus meant what he said 
about light should be applied to treasures on earth or in 
heaven. He goes on to show that to try to serve God 
and mammon at once, was to have a double eye — to try 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 33 

to see two opposite things at once, and so to be con- 
fused in light. 
Does Jesus mean by two masters, two who agree or two 
who are opposite in will ? 

What is meant by Mammon ? Answer. Riches for 
their own sake, without thought of God. 

Does 'Mammon' mean the treasures on earth, or 
treasures in heaven ? 

And how does ' God ' represent all the treasures in 
heaven ? 

Why are God and mammon opposite ? 

Explain how your eye is double, if you try to serve 
both? 



IjEmtbr Simimg, 



25. Therefore I say unto yon, Take no thought for your life, what 
ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink ; nor yet for your body, what ye 
shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than rai- 
ment ? 

26. Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they 
reap, nor gather into barns ; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. 
Are ye not much better than they ? 

27. Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his 
stature ? 

28. And why take ye thought for raiment ? Consider the lilies of 
the field, how they grow ; they toil not, neither do they spin : 

29. And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was 
not arrayed like one of these. 

80. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day 
is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe 
you, ye of little faith ? 

31. Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat ? or 
What shall we drink ? or, Wherewithal shall we clothed ? 

32. (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heav- 
enly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things ? 

33. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness ; 
and all these things shall be added into you. 



34 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

34. Take therefore no thought for the morrow : for the morrow shall 
take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the 
evil thereof. 

Our Saviour had been speaking of treasure in heaven and 
treasure on earth ; of looking at our treasure with a double or 
a single eye ; of trying to secure treasure in heaven and treasure 
on earth, God and mammon at the same time. Now he speaks 
of God's giving us all the treasure on earth which we need, if 
if we first lay up treasures in heaven. Notice how he does it : 
If you seek treasure in heaven first, God will feed you, for 
he feeds birds of the air, and he will feed his children more 
than birds. If you lay up treasure in heaven first, God will 
clothe you, for he clothes the lilies, and he will clothe his 
children more than flowers. 

What is the meaning of ' therefore' in the twenty -fifth 
verse ? Answer. Because you should serve God and not 
mammon, because ye should lay up treasure in heaven rather 
than treasure on earth ; therefore, I say unto you, take no 
thought for eating or drinking, etc. 

Can treasures on earth give us more than things to 
eat and to drink and to wear ? 

Can you live without taking thought sometimes of 
eating and drinking and clothes ? 

Do the Scriptures teach us that we should not think 
at all of these things ? Ansicer. Read 1 Timothy v : 
8 ; and 11 Thessalonians iii : 10. 

Did not Jesus himself and his disciples have a purse 
from which they bought things to eat? Read John 
xiii : 29 ; xii : 6. 

But which did he mean that we should think the 
more of, life or food, the tody or its clothing f 

Then which the more of, eternal life or food and cloth- 
ing ? treasure in heaven, or treasure which can only give 
food and- clothing on earth ? 
How do the fowls of the air get their food ? 

What three things, in the twenty-sixth verse, does he 
say fowls cannot do which men must do to have food ? 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 35 

When our Saviour says, Take no thought, etc., he means : 
* Do not be so eager to lay up treasure on earth. These treas- 
ures cannot give you any thing more than food and drink 
and clothing. Look at the birds. See how light and free and 
cheerful they are. They are not eager to lay up treasures. 
They do not sow and reap and hoard up in barns. They are 
happy .because they know that they will be provided for. 
And you cannot get more than the birds get. Are you not 
much better than they V 

And should } r ou have more anxious care than they ? 

Does God feed fowls without their finding their own 
food ? 

If God will take better care of us than of his fowls, 
are we the less to take care of our life and health ? 
What is the meaning of ' cubit ' and of stature ' ? 

With all this anxious thought of earthly treasures, 
can a man add anything to his height or to his life ? 

If you think of this verse as meaning this, ' And who of us, 
with all his eagerness and care to gather treasures, can add a 
cubit to his journey of life/ then the meaning of the two 
verses before this verse is carried out. The world rendered 
'stature' may mean 'age.' The meaning is, 'And, after all, 
who of you can add any thing to his age V 

Is a cubit a long measure or a short measure ? 

When our Saviour spoke of food, he spoke of the 
birds ; what does he now speak of when he speaks of 
clothing ? 

Describe a lily ; what kind of a plant is it, and how 
does it grow ? 

A splendid lily grows in the fields and meadows of Pales- 
tine. It is a beautiful purple or bright yellow or orange. 
The stalk is of a dark red color, and three feet high. 'Now, 
the glory of the clothing of this flower is all the more strik- 
ing when we think how poor and trivial is its life. It grows 
wild ; it comes speedily to bloom, and as quickly fades. Of- 
ten, in the East, the south wind, sweeping across the plain, 



36 THE FOURTH TEAB. 

will, in a single day, leave all its beauty faded, parched, and 
dead ; and when the dried grass is gathered to heat the baker's 
oven, the withered lily is gathered among it.' 

What two things does Jesus say lilies cannot do 
which men must do to have clothing ? 
With what king does our Saviour compare the lily ? 

You should think of King Solomon in the rich robes of roy- 
alty, such as are worn by kings in the East, made of the finest 
cloth, in the most splendid color, and embroidered with gold. 
You should think of him sitting on his ivory throne, (read 1 
Kings x : 18 to 20,) or riding on his splendid horse, in royal 
pomp, at the head of his royal army. When the Jews thought 
of King Solomon in all his glory, they thought him at the 
very height of human glory. Head the description of Solo- 
mon's glory in 1 Kings x : 4 to 7 and 21 to 23. 

What is meant by ' arrayed ' ? 
What is the clothing of the lily ? 

* Like one of these.' Compare Solomon's glory with the 
tall, purple lily, standing in its splendid apparel in the midst 
of a broad, green plain. 

What does c wherefore ' mean ? Answer. For which rea- 
son. 

What is meant by God's ' clothing the grass of the 
field ' ? 

How are ' lilies ' grass ? 

How was grass cast into the oven in that country ? 
Why will God 'much more' clothe men than the 
grass ? 

In what thing did Jesus mean that they had 4 little 

faith'? 

What is the meaning of ' therefore ' ? Answer. Because 

God will feed men sooner than fowls, and clothe men sooner 

than grass, therefore, or, for that reason, take no thought, 

saying, What shall we eat, etc. 

What does ' wherewithal ' mean ? 



THE FOUETH YEAE. 37 

How, then, are we to think of our eating and drink- 
ing and clothing, when we give thought to them? 
Who are meant by l Gentiles ' ? Answer. All the nations 
outside the Jewish. 

The meaning is, that all people are thinking of what they 
eat and what they drink and what they will be clothed with, 
too much ; but that his disciples should not be so anxious 
about these things. 

Would it be right to be idle and expect these things 
to come to us ? Read 1 Timothy v : 8 ; and 11 Thes- 
salonians iii : 10. 
What does the thirty-third verse show that our Saviour 
meant all the while by treasures in heaven ? 

What is meant by ' and his righteousness ' ? 
What is meant by k all these things shall be added' ? 
What is meant by ' take therefore no thought for to-mor- 
row ' ? Answer. Take no over-anxious care for the future. 
Men lay up treasure on earth for the morrow or the future. 
If they only thought of to-day, they wouldn't be so anxious 
to lay up riches. 

What is meant by ' the morrow will take thought 
for the things of itself ? 

Our Saviour did not mean that we should not think at all 
of providing for the morrow ; for he and his disciples had a 
purse or bag, from which to buy things for to-morrow. Jo- 
seph too laid up corn for the seven years' famine. Solomon too 
teaches us to provide for the future, as the ant does. Read 
Proverbs vi : 6 to 8. 

What is the meaning of 'sufficient' and of 'there- 
of? 

Can you give the meaning of this last sentence in 
your own words ? 



38 THE FOURTH YEAR. 



Suntfj jsmnfoag. 



CHAPTEB Vn. 

1. Judge not, that ye be not judged. 

2. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with 
what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 

3. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brothers eye, 
but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye ? 

4. Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote 
out of thine eye ; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 

5. Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye ; 
and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thj bro- 
ther's eye. 

5. Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your 
pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn 
again and rend you. 

7. Ask, and it shall be given you ; seek, and ye shall find ; knock, 
and it shall be opened unto you : 

8. For every one that asketh receiveth ; and he that seeketh findeth ; 
and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 

9. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he 
give him a stone? 

10. Or, if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent ? 

Our Saviour has now finished speaking of the first of the 
two open sins of the Pharisees, and now he speaks of the 
second— the harsh judging of others. As the Pharisees were 
themselves very strict to keep the law, they w T ere quick to 
judge others who did not keep it ; and they judged very 
severely and harshly, and in a proud, self-righteous manner. 

What w r as the first of the two sinful habits of the Phari- 
sees? 

What is the second ? 
Why are we not to judge other persons ? 
Who will judge us ? 

Will not other persons be likely to judge us, if w T e 
judge them ? 

Are w r e not to judge any thing about other persons ? 
Answer. Eead John vii : 24 ; and 1 Corinthians vi : 5. 



THE FOURTH TEAR. 39 

Is it the conduct or the motives of other persons that 
we are not to judge ? 
What is meant by ' with what judgment ' ? 

v Read this sentence with the emphasis on the first ' ye/ and 
on ' be.' 

"What is the meaning of 'mete ' ? 
What is it which is spoken of as being measured ? 
Answer. Faults, or conduct, or motives. 

Are we not then to judge or measure men at all ? 

The proper rule is, that we judge or measure person's faults 
or conduct with that judgment, or with that measure, with 
which we would like to have them judge or measure us. 

What is meant by a ' mote '' ? Answer. A splinter, or a lit- 
tle chip, or fibre of a beam. 

'Mote' and 'beam' mean a very little piece of wood and a 
very large piece of wood, such as could get into the eye. All 
men have faults ; and if one judges another harshty, or finds 
fault with him severely, it is as if all men had something in 
their eye, so that none of them could see clearly, and yet each 
one was trying to tell another there was something in Ms eye, 
and was pretending that there was nothing in his own. 

Which can see more clearly, the eye with a mote, or 
with a beam in it? 

Why would it not be right for a sore-eyed man to 
find fault with another man for having sore eyes f 
What does ' considerest not ' mean ? 
Can a man who has a beam in his own eye see how to pull 
a mote out of another's eye ? Why ? 

Is a man who has a fault, which he doesn't mend, 
the proper person to mend the same fault in another 
person ? 
Why does our Saviour call such a person a ' hypocrite ' ? 
What is a ' hypocrite ' ? 

What is meant by 'first cast out the beam out of 
thine own eye' ? 



40 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

Which do hypocrites love more to correct, the faults 
of others or their own faults ?' 

In the sixth verse, the Saviour means by dogs and swine 
those men who are severe and revengeful, like wild dogs and 
wild swine, in judging others. He had already said that we 
are not to judge others harshly; and now, he says, that if 
others will judge us savagely, we need not try to reprove them 
again ; for any good words which we say to them will be only 
giving a holy thing to a dog, or pearls to swine. 

What did the Jews think of dogs and swine ? 

What will such dog-like and such swine-like men do 
if you speak good words to them ? 

How do such men 'trample them under the feet, and 
turn again and rend you'? Answer. In Proverbs ix., 
in the first part of the eighth verse, you may read what 
such a man will do ; and in the seventh verse, you 
may read what you will get for reproving such a man. 

From the seventh verse of this lesson to the end of the 
chapter is the last part of the Sermon on the Mount. In 
the first part, you remember, Jesus spoke of the happy 
virtues of his kingdom ; in the second part, of the happy 
virtues opposed to the traditions of the Pharisees ; and now 
in this third part, he tells how to shun the wrong ways of 
the Pharisees, and what things to do to go in the true way 
into the kingdom of heaven. The first thing is to ask ; the 
second thing is to enter the kingdom of heaven through the 
strait gate ; the third thing is not to be led away by false 
teachers, who pretend that they are true ; the fourth thing is 
to do as well as to say what God wishes ; the fifth thing is to 
do what the Son of God says. 

What is the first of these things which we are to do in 
order to enter the kingdom of heaven ? 

Ask from whom? for what? Read Matthew xxi: 
22 ; John xiv : 14 ; xvi : 23, 24-. 
Who will give ? what will he give ? 



THE FOTJKTH YEAH, 41 

Do the three sentences of this verse mean the same 
thing or different things ? 

Some persons think the three parts of the verse, is only a 
strong way of saying the same thing : ask from God, seek from 
God, knock at God's door for what you want. Other persons 
think it means : 'Ask- for gifts to meet your needs ; seek what 
you have lost, and return from your error ; knock, ye who 
are without, that ye may be admitted within.' But even then 
all these things are to be done by prayer. 

How do you know that this verse does not mean that 
you should ask from man f Answer. From the elev- 
enth verse. 
Will l every one that asketh ' receive, no matter how he 
asks ? Read James iv : 3. 

How must he ask ? Read Mark xi : 24 ; John xv : 
7 ; James i : 6 ; 1 John iii : 22. 

Will every one find every thing that he seeks ? 

what things ? 
What shall be opened to him that knocketh ? 

You may ask once and stop ; but if you %ee\ you must do 
more than ask once ; and if you knock at the door, you must 
wait patiently for an answer, until the Master of the house is 
pleased to open. 

Why will not a father give his son who asks for bread a 
stone ? 

What would the son wish to do with the bread ? 

Can ' a stone ' be used for that purpose ? 
For what would a son ask fish ? 

Would it be worse or not to give a serpent for fish 
than to give a stone for bread ? 

A stone may loolc like a loaf of bread, and a serpent like a 
fish, but one could not satisfy hunger, and the other would be 
loathed as food. 



42 THE FOURTH YEAR. 



^letrertllj Snnbuir. 



11. If ye then, "being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your 
children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give 
good things to them that ask him ? 

12. Therefore all things whatsoever that ye would that men should 
do to you, do ye even so to them : for this is the law and the prophets. 

13. Enter ye in at the strait gate : for wide is the gate and hroad is 
the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in 
thereat : 

14. Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth 
unto life, and few there be that find it. 

15. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, 
but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 

16. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of 
thorns, or figs of thistles ? 

17. Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit: but a corrupt 
tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 

18. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt 
tree bring forth good fruit. 

19. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and 
cast into the fire. 

20. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 

Why is our heavenly Father much more likely to give to his 
children than a human father ? 

Is there any thing that men will generally do more 
willingly than to give to their children ? 
Why are men called c evil ' ? 

Is this a proof that men are evil ? 

This is a very strong proof that men are sinful by nature, 
and shows the greatness and majesty of our Saviour, that he 
could stand out from among men and say, 4 Ye, being evil,' 
and not, ' We, being evil. 

What is the meaning of l therefore,' in the twelfth verse ? 
Ansicer. Because keeping the law and the prophets does not 
consist in doing as the Pharisees say in respect to the five laws 
and the three duties, and in their two sins of worldly care 
and of harsh judging, but consists in love and kindness to- 
ward others ; therefore all things whatsoever, etc. 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 43 

What is meant by '}^e would] ? 
[s it right to say, 'all things that men do to yon, do 
you so to them ' ? Why ? 

How is this the law ? Read Romans xiii : 9, 10. 

How is this ' the prophets ' ? 

What is this twelfth verse generally called ? 

Luther says : 'In these words, Jesus gathers up all that he 
has said in the sermon in a little bundle, which each man may 
take, and keep easily.' 

Is ' strait gate ' the same as straight gate? Answer. Strait 
means narrow ; straight means not crooked. 

These strait gates and narrow ways may be seen in the 
Eastern cities. The whole rushing crowd that enter into the 
city come through the wide gate and the broad way ; but the 
strait gates are in retired corners, and must be sought for, and 
are opened only to them who knock ; and when the sun goes 
down, and the night comes on, they are shut and locked. It 
is then too late ! Read Luke xiii : 24, 25. 

Jesus means by the strait gate and by the wide gate, that 
there are two ways of beginning to be pious — one, by having 
true love to God and to man in the very heart, which is not 
easy ; and the other, by appearing to do many alms and pray- 
ers and fasts, without having much love to God or to man 
in the heart, which is much easier. The gate is the beginning 
of a religious life ; the way is the continuance in it. 

Why is the c gate ' called i wide,' and the ' way broad,' 
which leads to destruction ? 

Why does the outside religion, which has no heart, 
lead to destruction ? 

All men pretend to have some kind of religion. You can 
hardly find any man who will not claim that he does some 
things right, and who will not hope to get to heaven because 
he has lived a pretty good life outwardly among men. 

Are there many or few who have this outside reli- 
gion ? 

What is the meaning of ' thereat' ? 



44 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

Why do many go in thereat ? 
What kind of a gate and a way lead unto life ? 
What kind of life ? 

* The gate ' and ' the way ' of true piety are humility and 
repentance and laying up treasures in heaven, and prayer, 
which men do not like. c The gate' and ' the way ' of a pretend- 
ed piety are an easy appearance of being about as good as any 
body else, or the show of very great outward goodness, which it 
is easy for men to do. 

Why do few find the strait gate and narrow way ? 

Can any one find it who wishes ? 

Who does the seventh verse say will find it ? 

What does the seventh verse say you must do to 
have this gate opened? 

You should notice that the reason why many go into the 
wide gate, is because the other gate is narrow, and few are 
going into it. The gate is so small, and there are so few going 
in, that the multitude do not see the narrow way ; and the lit- 
tle which they do see of the way is not liked. But the many 
travellers who are crowding down the other highway, entice 
others to follow them. 

What does Jesus tell us to do, in order to enter in at 
the strait gate ? Eead Luke xiii : 24. 

What does c be-ware' mean? Why ' beware' of them? 

False prophets are teachers who pretend to show where the 
way of life is, and to point out the gate at the entrance of the 
way. The difficulty that there is even in finding this way, 
makes it necessary that right teachers or guides should point 
out the gate to us. We are not only in danger of following 
the multitude through the wide gate, but in danger of being 
falsely directed by false teachers. 

What is meant by come to you in ' sheep's clothing ' ? 
Answer. Their outward appearance is very good and 
very fair — as gentle and mild and innocent as sheep. 
What does c ravening ' mean ? 
Their mildness and gentleness and innocence is only put on, 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 45 

like clothing ; at heart they are as fierce and cruel as wolves, 
seeking only to gratify themselves. 

How can you know these false prophets ? 
What is meant by ' their fruits f ? 
What kind of plant produces grapes ? 
What plant produces figs ? 
Do thorn-plants and thistles produce any fruit ? 

Some of the thorn-bushes have very beautiful flowers, such 
as the buckthorn and hawthorn, so that they have a fine out- 
ward appearance, but no fruit. So even the thistles have a 
very pretty flower. 

Does a 'good tree' or good plant always bring forth good 
fruit ? 

What is a ''corrupt tree' ? 

Does the fruit always show the nature of the tree ? 
But cannot a good man seem to do a bad thing, or a 
bad man a good thing ? 

A good apple-tree may have poor apples on it, but most of 
the apples will be good ; and a bad tree may have an apple 
that seems to be good, until you come to examine it. Our 
Saviour means that a false prophet or false teacher will be 
known by the kind of life which his teachings produce. 

Why cannot a good tree bring forth evil fruit ? 

Does this mean that a good man will never do a bad 
act, or that good teaching will never produce a bad life ? 
Can a bad man, In the sight of God, do a single good 
thing? 

Will the bad teaching of false teachers ever produce 
any good thing ? 
Whom does Jesus mean will be cut down, when he says, 
'every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, will be cut 
down'? 

Into what fire will they be cast ? 
What is the meaning of ' wherefore,' in the last verse ? An- 
swer. On account of these reasons — because fruits tell the 
kinds of trees which they grow on. 
Who are meant by ' them ' ? 



46 THE FOURTH YEAE. 



^feclfflj JSimbag, 



21. Not every one that saitli unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into 
the kingdom of heaven ; but he that doeth the will of my Father which 
is in heaven. 

22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not pro- 
phesied in thy name ? and in thy name have cast out devils ? and in 
thy name done many wonderful works ? 

23. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you : depart 
from me, ye that work iniquity. 

24. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth 
them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a 
rock: 

25. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds 
blew and beat upon that house ; and it fell not ; for it was founded 
upon a rock. 

26. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth 
them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house 
upon the sand : 

27. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds 
blew, and beat upon that house : and it fell : and great was the fall 
of it. 

28. And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the 
peeple were astonished at his doctrine; 

29. For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the 
scribes. 

After our Saviour had warned the people against false teach- 
ers, he warns them against deceiving themselves. Teachers 
might lead them away from the narrow road ; and they might, 
after professing to be his disciples, be disappointed in the 
great day, to find that they were not his disciples. 

"What is meant by c every one saith unto me, Lord, Lord ' ? 
What else besides saying that Jesus is our Lord, 
must we do to enter the kingdom of heaven ? 
"What c day ' is meant in the twenty-second verse ? 
It may be that the people did not understand clearly what 
he meant by ' in that day, 7 and that they did not understand 
that he would be Judge at that day. They might have under- 
stood this : The day is coming, when many shall say, etc. ; 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 47 

but to us, other passages of Scripture make clear what day 
is meant. Read Matthew xxv : 31. 

Could a bad man do miracles in the name of Jesus ? 
"Will there be few or many who will say these things 
4 in that day' ? 

Their saying Lord over (Lord, Lord) shows how earnest 
they would be, and how great would be their disappointment. 

What does ' will I profess unto them ' mean ? 
Why will he say, 'I never knew you' ? 
What does ' work iniquity ' mean ? 
"" If they really had prophesied and cast out devils in 
Jesus' name, had they been working iniquity? 

Now follows the conclusion of the sermon. The Saviour 
had just spoken of the person who did the will of his Father, 
as the one who would enter the kingdom of heaven. Now he 
says that every such person must do his own sayings also. 

What are these sayings to which Jesus refers ? 
What two things must there be in a man, in respect 
to these sayings, to be the wise man ? 
What does the word ' floods ' mean ? Answer. The river- 
floods — the great k freshet? 

What is it that is meant which will come on every 
man, as the rain and flood and winds come on every 
house ? 

What is meant by the ' house ' ? 

A house is a building to live in — a dwelling — and it means 
here, our life, and every thing dear to us in life, in this world 
and the world to come. 

W r hat is meant hy 'rock' ? Answer. Christ's teach- 
ings. 

How is such a man's house, then, on a roclc ? 
We must remember that the Eastern people were accus- 
tomed to the fierceness of Eastern tempests, which often sud- 
denly sweep every thing away before them. 



48 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

Do the two things which make the man a foolish man, ootli 
differ from the two things which make the man a w T ise man ? 
How is the foolish man's \ house ' built on the ' sand ' ? 
Answer. His life is built not on the Saviour's teach- 
ings, but on men's teachings, opinions and speculations. 
What does he lose when his house falls ? 
Why is it said that the fall is great f 

The rain falls on the roof, the swelling river-floods rage 
around the foundations and wash out the sand, the winds 
storm against the walls and shake them. The w T alis of the 
lightly-built houses of the East often fall in, in such a storm ; 
but all this is as nothing to the trials of that great day, which 
will test the rock or sand which is our foundation. 

When Jesus had finished his sermon, what did the people 
think ? 

Was it his learning, his eloquence or his doctrine 
that they wondered at ? 

What is meant by ' doctrine ' ? 

Does ( these sayings ' mean all the sermon, or part 
of it? 
Why were they astonished at his doctrine ? 

What is meant by ' as one having authority ' ? 

Who were the scribes ? 

Did a scribe ever dare to say, Many will say to me 
in that day ? or, whosoever heareth these sayings oj 
mine, and doeth them, shall be, etc. 

Why does it not seem bold or out of place for Jesus 
to say such things ? 

Does Jesus have the same authority now, as then, 
over us ail? 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 49 



Cljiritetttjj Smi&ag, 

REVIEW LESSON OF THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE YEAR. 

Recite, in review, the Sermon on the Mount, taking one lesson each 
as you go around the class, or as much of it as the time of the school 
will allow. 

Do we know on what mountain it was that this sermon was 
delivered ? 

Was the time when he delivered it between his first 
and second journeys to Jerusalem, or between the sec- 
ond and third journeys ? 

Give any miracles which he did just before it and 
just after it. 

How long had the twelve disciples been chosen ? 
VVliat is the one subject of which he speaks through all the 
sermon ? 

Into how many principal parts is the sermon divided ? 
Answer. Three : I. The Happy Virtues of those who 
belong to his kingdom. IT. His kingdom opposed to 
the false traditions of the Pharisees. III. The way to 
enter his kingdom. 
I. The Happy Virtues of the Kingdom op Heaven. 
What is the meaning of Beatitudes ? 

Explain poor in spirit ; mourning ; meekness ; hun- 
ger and thirst after righteousness; mercy; purity in 
heart ; peace-makers. 

In the kingdoms of earth, are these things or other 
things thought noble and great ? 

What two reasons are given why we should be glad 
when we are persecuted ? Which one refers to heaven 
and the future ? Which to earth and the past ? 
Why does our Saviour liken those who have these virtues 
to salt? to light? 

Why are they like a city on a hill ? 



50 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

For what two purposes should they let their light 
shine ? 

II. The Kingdom of Heaven and its Virtues opposed to 

THE FALSE TRADITIONS OF THE PHARISEES. 

What were the traditions of the Pharisees ? 

Did the Pharisees pretend to keep the law or not? 
Did Jesus .say that he had come to keep the law or 
not? 

What law did he mean ? 

How many commands of the law which the Pharisees 
pretended to keep, does Jesus speak of? 
1. The Five Commandments. 
What is the first of these commands ? 

What did the Pharisees add to it ? 
How did that make it less than God made it ? * 
Show how Jesus explained it. 
What is the second of these commands ? 

What did Jesus say was violating this command 1 
Answer. Thinking impurely. 

Why is it a sin to think a wrong act as well as to 
do it? 
What is the third of these commands ? 

How did the Pharisees probably weaken the force of 
this command ? 
How did Jesus explain it ? 

Did he mean that we must not take an oath in court ? 
What is the fourth of these commands ? 

Is that in the Ten Commandments or not ? 
What did Jesus say about it ? 

What is meant by 'shall compel thee to go a mile, 
go with him twain ' ? 
What is the fifth of these commands ? 

What did the Pharisees add to the true command ? 
In what way does God show his love for bad and 
good alike ? 

In what respect are we to be perfect as God is per- 
fect ? 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 51 

2. The Three Duties. 
What are these three duties ? 

How did our Saviour say that his disciples were to 
take heed not to do alms ? 

"What is the hypocrite's reward for doing alms? 

How did our Saviour tell us to do alms ? 
What is the second of the three duties ? 

Why did hypocrites love to pray at the corners of 
the streets ? 

What is meant by ' thy closet' ? 

How does God most commonly reward openly the 
secret prayer ? 

What prayer does our Saviour give us ? 

Are we always to pray in these words and no other ? 

What six things do you pray for in this prayer? 

Which three of these six things belong to God ? 

Which three of these six things- belong to man ? 

What is meant by ■ debts ' ? 

Which one of the six things prayed for, does our 
Saviour speak of, after he had finished this prayer ? 

If we pray this prayer and do not forgive, what do 
we really pray for ? 
What is the third of the three duties ? 

Why did Jesus tell his disciples to anoint their head 
and wash their face, when they fast ? 

To whom should these three duties be done ? 

3. The Two Sinful Habits. 

What is the first of these two habits ? 

Isn't it right to lay up treasures on earth at all ? 

What is meant by ' thine eye be single ? and ' thine 
eye be evil ' ? 

Which of the two masters represents treasures in 
heaven ? which treasures on earth ? 

How does our Saviour show freedom from worldly 
care by birds and flowers ? 

Does Jesus mean that we should at no time have 
care about money or clothing ? 



52 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

What is the second of the two habits ? 

What is meant by the mote and the beam in thine 
eye? 

And what is meant by giving holy things to God and 
pearls to swine ? 
III. The Way to enter the Kingdom. 
What' is the first of the five things in order to find the 
way ? 

How does our Saviour show that our heavenly Father 
will give to those who ask ? 

What is the golden rule which our Saviour gives 
them? 

How is this golden rule ' the law and the prophets ' ? 
What is the second of the five things in entering the king- 
dom? 

What is meant by the ' strait gate ' and the c wide 
gate ' ? 

Why do few find the narrow gate ? 
Can any one find who wishes ? 
What must we do to find it ? 
What is the third of the five things in entering the kingdom 
of heaven ? 

How can you know the false prophets ? 
What is the fourth of the five things in entering the king- 
dom of heaven ? Answer. To be real disciples, and not pro- 
fessed disciples merely. 

What will the disciples who have only profession say 
in that day ? 
What is the fifth of the five things in entering the kingdom 
of heaven ? 

What two things are necessary to make a man a wise 
man in religious life ? 

What is meant by ' house ' ? by * rains and floods 
and winds ' ? by ' sand and rock ' ? 
Why did the people wonder at the teaching of Jesus ? 
Does he speak ~by authority to yout 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 53 



Jhttrtmttbr Simfrag* 



OUR SAVIOUR'S ADDRESS TO HIS TWELVE DISCIPLES 
WHEN HE MADE THEM APOSTLES. 

CHAPTER X. 

1. And when he had called unto him Ms twelve disciples, he gave 
them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to^heal all 
manner of sickness and all manner of disease. 

2. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these ; The first, 
Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his "brother ; James the son 
of Zebedee, and John his brother ; 

3. Philip, and Bartholomew ; Thomas, and Matthew the publican ; 
James the son of Alpheus, and Lebbeus, whose surname was Thad- 
deus ; 

4. Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. 

5. These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, 
Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samari- 
tans enter ye not : 

6. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 

7. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at 
hand. 

8. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils : 
freely ye have received, freely give. 

Between the Sermon on the Mount and this address, Jesus 
had healed the servant at Capernaum, had raised to life the 
widow's son at Nain, had stilled the storm on the lake, had 
raised Jairus's daughter and cured the woman with an issue 
of blood, and had healed the two blind men. After this ad- 
dress, he fed the five thousand people with bread, walked on 
the water, fed the four thousand people, was transfigured on 
the mountain, and went on his third journey to Jerusalem, to 
the feast of tabernacles. 

In which part of Palestine was this address made ? 

Tell me some things which Jesus did between the 
Sermon on the Mount and this address ? 

Tell me some things between this address and his 
third journey to Jerusalem ? 



54 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

By what two different names are the twelve called in the 
first and the second verses ? 

You remember that Jesus chose the twelve just before the 
Sermon on the Mount. They were then his disciples, or 
learners, and were with him in cities and villages, and on the 
lake, and across the lake, to learn from his words and mira- 
cles. Seeing what he did, and how he loved and pitied all the 
people, and learning what he said to them and what he spoke 
publicly to the people, was the best way for them to learn his 
doctrine and his religion. They had been his disciples then, 
we suppose, for some months, until the time of this address, 
when he called them to him, and in this address told them to 
go and do what they had seen him do, and speak as they had 
heard him*speak. They were now made Apostles, that is, were 
sent forth, or were disciples sent forth, to preach and to work 
miracles. 

"What is the difference in the meaning of ' disciple J 
and of ' apostle ' ? 

What two things did our Saviour give to the disci- 
ples, when he made them apostles ? 

Were these two things, things which he had done 
himself or not ? 

How did Jesus teach his disciples in order to make 
them apostles ? 

You will find lists of the disciples' names in Mark iii : 16- 
19 ; in Luke vi : 13-16 ; and in Acts i : 13, as well as here. 

Whose name is mentioned first among the disciples in all 
these lists ? 

Whose name is fifth in all the four lists ? the ninth ? 
the last ? 

The Roman Catholics say that Peter was the chief 
of all the Apostles : do the words, ' the first, Simon who 
is called Peter,' prove it or not ? 

Who was first of the disciples to confess that Jesus 
was the Christ? Read xvi : 16. 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 55 

Who was the first to speak boldly out on the day of 
pentecost ? Eead Acts ii : 14. 

Who was the first to preach the Gospel to the Gen- 
tiles ? Eead Acts xv : 7, and the story of the tenth 
chapter of Acts. 

What two pairs of brothers are among the twelve ? 

Where did Peter and Andrew live before they became 
disciples ? John i : 44. 

What were Peter and Andrew doing when Jesus 
called them to be his disciples ? 

Who was the father of James and John ? 

Who was the father of the other James among the 
twelve ? 
Where was Philip from ? Answer. John i : 44. 

What does Bar-tholomew mean ? Answer. Son of 
Tholomew, like Bar-Jesus, son of Jesus, and Bar-Jona, 
son of Jona. 

What other name is supposed to belong to him ? 
Answer. Nathanael. 

Why is it supposed that Nathanael and Bartholomew 
are the same person? Ansioer. For three reasons : 1. 
Because Philip first brought Nathanael to Jesus, (John 
i : 45,) and Philip and Bartholomew's names are men- 
tioned in this list together. 2. Because Nathanael is 
one of the first disciples of Jesus. 3. Because he is 
one of the last disciples of Jesus. (John xxi : 2.) 

If Bartholomew is the same as Philip, in what place 
did he live. Ansioer. John xxi : 2. 

Why is Matthew called the 'the publican' ? 

What is meant when it is said that the stir -name of 

Lebbeus was Thaddeus ? Answer. That Thaddeus was 

a name added to his first name Lebbeus. 

Does Cananite mean an inhabitant of Canaan ? Ansioer. 

No. It means a member of a party or sect called Cananites, 

who were called also 'The Zealots,' because they were zealous 

of or warmly in favor of the law of Moses. It is as if it 

were written ' Simon, the Kananite,' 



56 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

Who is the last disciple mentioned ? 
What is it to betray ? 

Is there any bad thing mentioned of any other ? 
Why then is this bad thing mentioned of Judas ? 
When Jesus sent forth these twelve, where did he send 
them? 

The address to the twelve disciples begins now with this 
verse, and goes through the chapter. As we go through it, 
we shall find it divided into four parts. The first part of the 
address is about the work which Jesus gives them ; the sec- 
ond, the troubles which they will surely meet, and their duty 
in these troubles; the third part, about the war or the dis- 
turbance which their work will make in families or between 
persons ; and the fourth part, about the test which will show 
who are on the side of God in this war, and who against him. 
We will see where these parts begin and end in the different 
lessons. 

What is the subject of the first part of the address ? 
This first part is from the fifth verse through the fifteenth 
verse. Read the verses through, and you will see that the 
Saviour tells them, first, where they shall not go, then where 
they shall go, then what they shall say, then what they shall 
do, and then how they shall provide for themselves. 
How many verses are there in this part ? 
Where does Jesus tell them not to go ? 

Who are Gentiles ? Who are Samaritans ? 
What is l the way of the Gentiles ' ? Answer. The 
countries of the heathen nations, outside Palestine ; 
perhaps the way to the Gentile nations. 

Did not Jesus mean that his Gospel should be 
preached to the Gentiles? Read Romans ii : 9, 10, 11 ; 
and Acts xiii : 46, 47. 

Did they ever preach among the Samaritans V Read 
Acts viii : 5. 

Jesus himself talked with the woman of Samaria, at the 
well, and staid at the city of Sychar two days ; but he knew 



THE FOURTH YEAS. 57 

that if be sent his whole twelve disciples to the Samaritans 
first, the Jews would be less likely to hear them. And for 
that reason, no doubt, he sent them to the Jews first ; and 
after his resurrection he sent them to all nations. 

Where does Jesus tell his apostles to go f 

What is meant by the i house of Israel ' ? 

What by ' the lost sheep of the house of Israel ' ? 
Answer. Read Matthew ix : 36 ; and 1 Peter ii : 25. 

Did Jesus tell them not to go in the way of the Sa- 
maritans ? 
What did he mean by * preach ' ? 

What did he tell them to say ? 

What is ' the kingdom of heaven ' ? 

What does ' is at hand ' mean ? 

Could the apostles now preach all which they preach- 
ed afterwards ? Read Luke xxiv : 45-47 ; Acts iv : 2, 
and ix : 20, and xvii : 18. 
What did Jesus tell his apostles to do f 

What four kinds of people does he tell them to do 
it to? 

What is a 'leper' ? 

What had they freely received from Jesus ? Look at 
the first verse. 

Has God ever given us any thing which he hasn't 
given freely f 

When we give, is it wrong for us not to give with a 
free heart f 

These miracles were to show that the apostles had author- 
ity and power from God to preach, as our Saviour's miracles 
showed that he had divine power and authority to teach and 
to preach. 



THE FOURTH YEAB. 



Jfiftmttjj Sitnbmr. 

9. Piovide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, 

10. Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor 
yet staves : for the workman is worthy of his meat. 

11. And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in 
it is worthy ; and there abide till ye go thence. 

12. And when ye come into a house, salute it. 

13. And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it : but if 
it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. 

14. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, 
when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of ycur 
feet. 

15. Yerily I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of 
Sodom and G-omorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city. 

16. Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves : be 
ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. 

How does our Saviour tell his apostles to provide for them- 
selves ? 

Were the twelve who were now sent, to go out of 
Palestine or not ? 

Would their journey be long or short ? 
Would they or wouldn't they need money ? 

Jesus didn't tell them to throw away what they had, but to 
get or provide no more than what they already had. 

What is ' scrip ' 2 

Why not take more than one coat, one pair of san- 
dals, and a staff? 

What did Jesus mean by ' the workman is worthy of 
his meat ' ? Answer. The workman is worthy of his 
living. 

The farmers of that same region now go on their short jour- 
neys without money or extra clothing. " They have a quantity 
of their thin, tough bread, and perhaps a little cheese, in that 
leathern bag which hangs from their shoulders — the ' scrip ' — 
and with this they are contented. When hungry, they sit by 



THE FOURTH TEAR. Di* 

the fountain or the brook and eat ; if weary or sleepy, they 
throw around them their loose ' aba'' or 'cloak,' and lie down 
on the ground as contentedly as the ox himself. All shep- 
herds have the 'scrip' — the wallet in which they carry their 
provisions — and the farmers always have them. It is sim- 
ply the skin of a kid stripped off whole and tanned. The 
'outfit' of the first apostles shows that they were plain fisher- 
men or farmers or shepherds. What our Saviour said to them 
was this: 'Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass, in your 
purses. You are going to your brethren in the neighboring 
villages, and the best way to get to their hearts and their con- 
fidence is to go to their houses and throw j^oursel^es on their 
hospitality." Jesus wished them to go free from all care but 
the care to preach. 

When Jesus sent his disciples on a longer journey to all the 
world to preach, he then told them to take these things with 
them. Read Luke xxii : 36. And if you will read Luke 
xxii : 35, you will see that the apostles who now went out 
did not suffer from lack of any thing. 

' Inquire who in it is worthy' — worthy of what? 

' And there abide-'— where abide ? 

What does ' thence ' mean ? 
What is the meaning of 'salute' the house ? Head Luke x: 5. 
What does ' house be worthy ' mean ? 

What does 'your peace come upon it' mean ? 

What if the house were not worthy ? 

What does 'peace return to you; mean ? 

' Peace be to you' were the words in saluting a family or a 
person, as you may see in Luke x : 5 ; and in Luke xxiv : 36, 
and John xx : 19, you may see how our Saviour used it. 
Whoever was piously fearing God would be glad to receive the 
apostles, and they were to enter into full and peaceful fellow- 
ship with them ; but if any one was so proud or so hateful as 
not to receive them, because he did not like their preaching, 
they were to withdraw from peaceful fellowship with him. 

What did shaking off the dust from their feet show ? 



60 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

The Jews said that the touch of the dust of a heathen na* 
tion defiled them, and they shook it off in sign of contempt ; 
but the disciples shook off the dust from such a house or city 
to show that they must withdraw entirely from them, and as 
a sign that God's judgment hung over them. 

What is the meaning of l more tolerable ' ? 

What would surely come upon Sodom and Gomorrah 
in the day of judgment ? Why ? 

Why would it be worse for such a house or such a 
city than for those cities? Read Matthew xi : 21-24, 
and Luke xii : 47, 48. 
If the disciples who were sent forth were sheep, who were 
the wolves ? 

The second part of the address begins with verse sixteen, and 
goes through the thirty-third verse. In this part, the Saviour 
tells them that they will surely meet trials and troubles. The 
people of the world to whom he sends them are like wolves ; 
and they who have been with him for the last few months, 
learning with such peace and pleasure his doctrines and his 
miracles, will now find that people are not only hateful and 
spiteful against the doctrines and miracles, but against those 
persons who teach the doctrines and who do the miracles. 
' Behold — Remember, said their Lord, / send you ; but you 
must expect to suffer and not to enjoy.' 

In going into such a world, what kind of wisdom 
would they need? 

In what thing are serpents thought to be especially 
wise? Answer. In avoiding needless danger and in 
prudently escaping from it. 

In what thing, more than all, are doves harmless ? 
Answer. They never do harm even to those who perse- 
cute them. The verse might be translated, ' simple as 
doves. 7 They were to be simple-hearted, like doves, 
toward their persecutors. 

By the wisdom of the serpent, they would avoid persecution 



THE FOURTH YEAR. gj 

without sinfully deserting their work, and by the simple-heart- 
edness of the dove, the}'' would meet persecution without being 
provoked to feelings of revenge. 

Kepeat the Apostle Paul's direction about being wise 
and simple. Answer. In Romans xvi : 19, last part. 



^kttenib Sxmbmr. 



17. But beware of men : for they will deliver you up to the councils, 
and they will scourge you in their synagogues ; 

18. And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my 
sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. 

19. But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye 
shall speak : for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall 
speak. 

20. Eor it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which 
speaketh in you. 

21. And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the 
father the child : and the children shall rise up against their parents, 
and cause them to be put to death. 

22. And ye shall be hated of ail men for my name's sake : but he 
that endureth to the end shall be saved. 

23. But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another : 
for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of 
Israel, till the Son of man be come. 

24. The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his 
lord. 

25. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the 
servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beel- 
zebub, how much more shall they call them of his household ? 

What is the meaning of 'be-ware' ? Anstoer. In the Greek 
language it is the same word as 4 take heed ' in the verse, ' Take 
heed that ye do not your alms before men.' 
Why be-ware of men ? 
What ! councils ' ? 

4 Councils ' means the religious councils in the synagogues, 
where the sentence of scourging was sometimes carried out 
against those who were false to the faith. 



62 



THE FOURTH YEAH, 



What is meant by being brought ' before governors and kings 
for a testimony ' ? 

They would not only be tried by church-councils, but they 
would be brought before the law-courts of the country to be 
tried by governors of the provinces, and even by the kings 
and emperors of Palestine and of the Roman Empire. 

Who are meant by 'them' in 'against them' ? 

'God so arranges it, that his preachers, who in no other 
way could come before princes and kings, are brought before 
them in bonds, to speak.' 

How could their being brought before governors and 
kings be a testimony against the Gentiles f 

They were directed not to go into the way of the Gentiles ; 
but the Jews themselves, in persecuting them, would bring 
them before Gentile governors or rulers, and so they would 
give testimony to the Gentiles too. 

Testimony about what ? 

Now, if you will look on through this second part of the 
address, you will see that Jesus tells his apostles five things 
which they are to do in their times of persecution : (1) They 
are not to be anxious about what they shall answer when 
they are addressed, (in the nineteenth and twentieth verses ;) 
(2) They must persevere to the end, even when parents and 
children should put each other to death, (in the twenty-first 
and twenty-second verses ;) (3) They are to flee from one 
place to another, (in the twenty-third verse ;) (4) They must 
think how their Master himself was persecuted, (in the twenty- 
fourth and twenty-fifth verses ;) (5) They must fear no one 
but God, and believe that God will take care of them, (from 
the twenty-sixth through the thirty-first verse.) 

What is the first of the five things which our Saviour tells 
his disciples to do in persecution ? 

Does this mean, do not think at all what you are 
going to say, or, take no anxious thought, as in the 



THE FOURTH TEAR. €3 

Sermon on the Mount, ' Take no thought what ye shall 
eat,' etc. ? 

When a person is delivered up to prison and accused, the 
most natural thing is to be very anxious about what he shall 
say when he is brought out to trial ; and the anxiety is greater 
if he is to be brought before great and powerful men, and per- 
haps still greater if he is innocent. Notice that they are not 
to think anxiously what they are to say, nor how they are to 
say it. 

Were these apostles accustomed to governors and 
kings ? 
What encouragement does our Saviour give them, by telling 
them how they will be able to answer ? 

How will the Spirit of God help them to speak ? 
Answer. By lifting them above all earthly, selfish 
motives for speaking, and by filling them with his calm- 
ness and peace when they speak. 

Do these two verses mean that ministers should not 
think beforehand what they are to preach ? 

Do these verses promise the special help of the Spirit 
at any other time than ' when they are delivered up ' 
and ' in that same hour ' ? 
What is the second thing in the twenty-first and twenty- 
second verses, which the disciples should do in time of perse- 
cution ? 

What would show the severity of the persecution ? 
To whom would they deliver them up ? 
To what would they deliver them up ? 
For what would all men hate them ? 
But who only would be saved ? 
4 To the end' of what ? * Be saved ' from what ? 
If one gives up the name of Jesus because he is 
hated, can he be saved ? 

Will a person who has endured to the end of a perse- 
cution, and afterward leaves his Saviour, be saved ? 



64 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

What is the third thing, in the twenty-third verse, which 
the disciples should do in persecutions ? 

Did Jesus mean by ' in this city/ a city in which he 
was speaking ? 

Were they to flee from one city to another because 
they were afraid ? 

What is the difference between a wicked and a holy 
flight? Head John x : 13. 

Does ' gone over the cities of Israel ' mean, gone over 
all the cities of Israel ? 

Would their flight then be the means of sending them 
over more cities of Israel than without flight, or not ? 

What does * till the Son of man be come ? mean ? 
Answer. There are four good ways of explaining it : 
(1) Till the Son of man come as a dying Saviour on the 
cross ; (2) till the Son of man come in the fulness of 
the Holy Spirit at Pentecost ; (3) till the Son of man 
come in the destruction of Jerusalem, to put an end to 
this Jewish persecution ; and (4) till the Son of man 
overtakes you on your journey. 

Which one of these four ways of explaining it do 
you think the best ? 
What is the fourth thing, in the twenty -fourth and twenty- 
fifth verses, which the disciples should do in persecution ? 

How is a disciple not above his master ? a servant 
not above his lord ? 

Does not a scholar sometimes become superior to his 
teacher ? 

The twenty-fourth verse was probably a proverb among the 
people. 

What do you understand ' it is enough for the disci- 
ples ' to mean ? 

Did the Jews ever call Jesus Beelzebub ? Answer. 
See chapter xii : 24. 

Who was Beelzebub? See the answer in the last 
part of xii : 24. 



I 



THE FOTJETH YEAB. 65 



B&bmimxtfy Smxbmx 



26. Fear them not therefore : for there is nothing covered, that shall 
not be revealed ; and hid, that shall not be known. 

27. What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light : and what 
ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. 

28. And fear not thern which kill the body, but are not able to kill 
the soul : but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and 
body in hell. 

29. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing ? and one of them shall 
not fall on the ground without your Father. 

30. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 

31. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. 

32. Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I 
confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 

33. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny 
before my Father which is in heaven. 

What is the first duty which our Saviour gives his disciples 
in persecution ? the second ? the third ? the fourth ? 
What is now the last ? 
Fear whom not ? 
Why not fear them ? 

Notice that two reasons are given why they shall not fear, 
one before the verse and the other beginning with * for.' Be- 
cause every thing done against the disciple is done against 
his master ; and because he will reveal what is covered and 
make known what is hid ; therefore fear not. All the wicked 
secrets of these persecutors shall be brought to light ; and all 
the truth which you speak, and which they try to hide, shall 
stand and shall come out. 

W r hat shall be done to that which they would cover 
up? 

What shall be done to that which they would hide ? 

Why is this a reason that the disciples should not 
fear ? 
Explain the meaning of 'in darkness' and 'in light' ? 

Explain 'in the ear' and 'upon the housetop.' 



6Q THE FOURTH YEAB. 

* At the present day, in that land, governors in country dis- 
tricts have their commands proclaimed from the housetops. 
Their proclamations are made in the evening, after the people 
have come in from their labors in the field. The public 
crier goes upon the nearest housetop and lifts up his voice 
in a long-drawn call upon all faithful subjects to give ear and 
obey. He then proceeds to announce the will of their master, 
and to demand obedience to it' 

But did not Jesus, after this, say that in secret he 
had said nothing ? See John xviii : 20. 

How do those two sayings agree ? Answer. When 
he said, ' In secret I have said nothing,' he was being 
tried for conspiring to be king, and he meant that he 
had not planned in secret about becoming king himself. 
Our Saviour says, in these two verses, Keep up a good cour- 
age in your preaching ; preach every thing boldly in the light 
and in the public places. Feel sure that it will stand ; for 
men cannot cover nor hide it long. 

Whom did he mean by ' them which kill the body, but are 
not able to kill the soul ' ? 

In the twenty-sixth verse he tells them not to fear the re- 
proach of persecution ; in this verse he tells them not to 
fear the death of persecution. The reason why they shall not 
fear is, that persecution can kill the body only ; but that if 
they should forsake God, he can kill the soul as well as the 
body. 

Did Jesus tell them to fear the death of soul and 
body, or him who could destroy soul and body ? 
Who is meant by 'him' ? 

Does this mean that we are to be afraid of Him ? 
What is the place in which both soul and body are 
to be destroyed ? 

Can there be any place on earth in which soul as 
well as body is destroyed ? 

Can then i hell ' mean anyplace but the place of future 
punishment ? 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 67 

'It is prudence to give up the body in order to save the 
soul. This is to cast the cargo into the sea, in order to save 
;he men who are in the ship.' 

Notice how Jesus says, first, (twenty-sixth and twenty-sev- 

nth verses,) Fear not, for the truth shall stand; secondly, 

twenty-eighth verse,) Fear not, for God can give you greater 

suffering than man ; and now, thirdly, (twenty-ninth to the 

thirty -first verse,) Fear not, for God will take care of you. 

What is a sparrow ? How much was a sparrow worth r 
What were sparrows sold for ? 

1 At the present day, the markets of Jerusalem and Joppa 
are attended by many ' fowlers,' who offer for sale long strings 
of birds of various species, chiefly sparrows, wagtails, and 
larks. They are also frequently sold ready plucked, trussed 
in rows of about a dozen, on slender wooden skewers, and are 
cooked and eaten like kabobs.' 

What is meant by ' fail on the ground without your 
Father'? 

1 These birds are snared and caught in great numbers ; and 
when we see the heaps of them which are killed, just to get 
rid of the birds, and then read that not one falls without the 
notice of our heavenly Father, we get some idea of his wonder- 
ful attention and watchfulness over us.' 

Do you understand, by the thirtieth verse, that God knows 
the number of hairs on eYerj head ? 

Does God need to take ])ains to know every swallow 
and every hair ? 

God knows at once, and without counting as we do, the 
number of the stars and of the sea-sands, and of the drops of 
the ocean, and of the birds of the air, and of the hairs of the 
head. It is as easy for him to know a myriad small things as 
a few large things. He knows one as quickly, as the other. If 
he knows enough to create the myriads of stars and birds and 
insects, and if he keeps each one in life and motion, he must 
give attention to them all and to each one of them all. 



68 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

Does it make God smaller or greater to think that ho 
does such things as count the hairs and care for the 
sparrows ? 

There is hardly any thing that you care less for, than for a 
hair that flies from your head ; and yet God notices that it is 
gone. 

Why should God's care for such things be a reason that he 
should care for men ? 

Which of the two things spoken of in the twenty- 
eighth verse does he value most ? 

How then do these verses show that God will care 
for us in persecution ? 

The one great thing to think of in all their preaching and 
persecution was, what would become of others and of them- 
selves in the life to come. And therefore, when Jesus speaks 
of confessing and denying, he sums up all that he has said to 
them so far in his address. 

What is the meaning of 'therefore/ in 'Whosoever there- 
fore, shall confess me ' ? Answer. It means this : Since you 
have all these reasons for not fearing — God giving you his 
Spirit to speak for you in persecution, flight, salvation if you 
endure to the end, the comfort of knowing that your Master 
has suffered, the care of God — since you have all these great 
reasons for being bold ; whosoever therefore shall b@ bold to 
confess me, him will I confess, etc. 

What is it to confess ? 

Where will he confess us ? 

If we confess Jesus because we believe that he will 
care for us, how will he show at last that he does care 
for us ? 

What an honor would it be to have a king, in the midst of 
his great men, point you out to the multitude as his friend ! 
And what an honor will that be when the Son of God, before 
all the universe, shall point us out to his Father as his friends ! 



THE FOUETH YEAR. G9 

What is it to deny the Saviour ? 

When yoti feel that he does not care for you, is that 
denying him ? 

Is that denying him before men t 

If, from fear of men, we are kept from saying any 
thing about Jesus, is that denying him ? 

How, when, where, will he then deny us ? 

"What becomes of us, if he denies us then ? 



(Sfraljteeniij jshwbap. 



84, Think not that J am come to send peace on earth : I came not to 
send peace, but a sword. 

35. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and 
the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her 
mother-in-law. 

38. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. 

37. He that loveth father and mother more than me is not worthy 
of me : and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy 
of me. 

83. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth not after me, is 
not worthy of me. 

89. He that findeth his life shall lose it : and he that losetli his life 
for my sake shall find it. 

40. He that reeeiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me 
receiveth him that sent me. 

41. He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall re- 
ceive a prophet's reward ; and he that receiveth a righteous man in 
the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. 

42. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones 
a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto 
you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. 

Our Saviour has now finished telling his disciples what 
their duty is in persecution. The third part of the address 
begins with verse thirty-four. In the second part, he had told 
them that men in the world among whom they were to go, 
were wolf-like, and would persecute them. Now, in the third 
part, he tells them that his doctrine is such that it will make 



70 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

disturbance in a wicked world — that it would make not peace 
but war in families. The Jews thought that when the Mes- 
siah would come to be king, he would have a reign of great 
peace and prosperity. 

What kind of a kingdom would the apostles be likely to 
think their Master's kingdom would be, when they knew that 
he was the Messiah ? 

In such a kingdom of the Messiah, what would the 
disciples expect for themselves ? 

Does 'peace on earth' mean peace in Palestine or in 
all the earth ? 

What did Jesus say that he really came to bring ? 
How does this agree with the song of the angels 
when Jesus was born — * On earth, peace, good will to 
men'? 

How does it agree with the Beatitude, i Blessed are 
the peace-makers ' ? 
Show, from the thirty-fifth verse, what Jesus meant by * a 
sword.' 

What does c at variance' mean ? 
What would make them at variance ? 
Is it true that the religion of Jesus makes enemies among 
the members of a household ? 

Is it necessary, when a member of a family is con- 
verted, that there should be division in the family on 
account of it ? 

What is the reason that it ever happens ? 

It must always be so, when some in the family love and 
some hate Jesus. The Jews hated Jesus, and instead of hav- 
ing a reign of peace when the Messiah came, they soon had a 
most cruel war in their nation. And wherever the religion of 
Jesus has come, and some have rejected it, it has made divi- 
sion or war. 

Is it the religion of Jesus which makes such persecu- 
tion and bloodshed ? 



THE FOUSTII YEAR,. 71 

Why is it right for the religion of Jesus to come into 
a house where all is harmony and peace ? 

The reason why there is trouble is, the family at first are 
all on the side of Satan, against God. When one member 
goes over to the side of God, two parts of two armies — the 
army of Satan and the army of God — are in the same family ; 
and these armies, as they are the army of right and the army 
of wrong, can never be at peace. 

What does a false peace in the heart or in the family 
lead to ? 

What is the only true peace ? 

Why is Jesus, who sends, a sword, called the Prince 
of Peace ? 

The surgeon who brings a knife to the body, really saves 
the body from being cut ; the father who brings pain to the 
child by punishing him, really saves him from pain ; the na- 
tion which makes war to keep off an enemy, makes the truest 
peace for itself ; the soul which brings itself into pain and 
reproach for the right, saves itself from pain and reproach. 

The rest of the chapter, which is the fourth part of the ad- 
dress, gives the test which shows who are on the side of Jesus, 
in this warfare, and who against him. Jesus is the Prince, 
at the head of God's army on earth. 

How do you tell who is worthy of this Prince ? 
What does 'not worthy of me ' mean ? 
Why is one who loves his parents or his children 
more than Jesus not worthy of him ? 

Ought we not to have yqtj great love for parents and 
for children ? 

Can we love our friends too much, if we love Jesus 
more? 
What was it to c take up a cross,' in the days of the disci- 
ples ? 

• Had Jesus been crucified where he said this ? 
The Jews themselves didn't punish criminals, by putting 
them to death on the cross ; but they knew that the Romans 



72 THE FOURTH YEAS. 

often did it ; and they knew that to take up the cross and 
carry it to the place of crucifixion, was part of the punish- 
ment. The disciples understood Jesus to mean: 'And he 
that is not willing to suffer for me is not worthy of me.' 

In the words, 'and followeth after me,' do you think 
Jesus spoke of himself going to the cross, or not ? 
Which life does Jesus mean when he says, i findeth his 
life,' this life or the eternal life ? 

Which does he mean by the word 'it,' in ; shall lose 
it'? 

What is meant by i findeth his life ' ? 

For whose sake must a man lose his earthly life, in 
order to find eternal life ? 

Is it necessary for a man to die for him, to lose his 
life for Jesus' ' sake ' ? 

All that men love life for is to carry out some plan of work 
or of enjoyment; and if a man consents to lose, or to give up 
his plan of life-work or of enjoyment for Jesus' sake, he loses 
his life for his sake. 

Which life gives the best, highest and longest enjoy- 
ment ? 

When does the enjoyment of that life begin ? 

Notice that Jesus has given three things by which you may 
know on which side we are in the warfare. First, we must 
love him more than any other person. Secondly, we must be 
willing to suffer for him. Thirdly, we must give up our life, 
or our way of life, for- his sake ; and now, Fourthly, in the 
rest of the chapter, he says that we must love those whom he 
sends with his message. 

How did those who received the apostles receive their Mas- 
ter? 

And whom else did they receive ? 
When American Christians send out missionaries, 
and the heathen receive them, whom else do the hea- 
then receive besides the missionaries ? 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 73 

What does l receiveth,' in ' receiveth a prophet/ mean ? 

If you, therefore, cannot be an apostle or a prophet, 
can you not lielp an apostle or a prophet by receiving 
him? 

And if there is no prophet or apostle, is it the same 
for you to receive a righteous man ? 

What is meant by 'a prophet's reward,' and ' a right- 
eous man's reward ' ? Answer. He shall receive just 
as great a reward as the reward of the prophet or as 
the reward of the righteous man. 
Who is meant by J one of these little ones ' ? 

"Why is ' a cup of cold water ' mentioned ? 

With what motive must a person give it, in order to 
receive his reward ? 

What word repeated is there in the last part of the 
verse which makes this promise very strong ? 

Can you, then, possibly do so small a Christian act 
that it will not be rewarded ? 

Is it meant by the word l reward,' that we deserve 
the reward ? 



A PAET OF OUE SAVIOUS'8 LAST ADDBESS ON THE 
MOTJXT OF OLIVES. 

CHAPTEB XXV. 

1. Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, 
which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 

2. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 

3. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with 
them: 

4. But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 

5. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 

6. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom 
cometh ; go ye out to meet him. 

7. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 



74 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

8. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil ; for our 
lamps are gone out. 

9. But the wise answered, saying, Not so ; lest there be not enough 
for us and you : but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for your- 
selves. 

Four days before the address, Jesus had made his triumphal 
entry into Jerusalem. Since the triumphal entry, he had 
been teaching in the daytime in the temple, and in the night 
he went out and abode in the Mount of Olives.* In the tem- 
ple, the chief-priests and elders asked him by what authority 
he did his deeds ; and he answered them, and then told them 
the parables of the two sons, of the husbandmen-and serv- 
ants, and of the king's son's marriage. The Pharisees asked 
him about tribute to Csesar ; the Saducees asked him about 
the resurrection ; a lawyer asked him about the great com- 
mandment in the law ; and he answered them all. And then 
lie asked them a question, which put them all in silence ; and 
then he pours upon them the fearful woes against their hy- 
pocrisy and wickedness, and solemnly leaves the temple for 
ever. 

As he goes from the temple for the last time, he tells his 
disciples that the whole great temple shall be torn down. Sit- 
ting on the Mount of Olives, they ask him when these things 
shall be, and he answered them by this address ; for in the 
address he tells them what are the signs of the destruction of 
the temple, and of the destruction of Jerusalem, and of the 
end of the world, and what shall be at the day of judgment. 

The whole address is too long to be put in this book. The 
part in respect to our Lord's second coming, and the day of 
judgment, is, most of it, in the twenty -fifth chapter. The 
three subjects of the chapter are : Watchfulness for that day ; 
Accountability at that day ; and the Rewards and Punish- 
ments of that day. These subjects are made plain by three 
parables : Watchfulness, by the parable of the five virgins ; 
Accountability, by the parable of the talents ; and Rewards 

* Luke xxi : 3, 



THE FOURTH YEAR. > 75 

and Punishments at the last day, by the parable of the sheep 
and goats. 

Where was this address delivered ? 

Where was Jesus ? 

How long was it after he entered Jerusalem in tri- 
umph ? 

What had he been doing since that time ? 

What did he say against the Scribes and Pharisees ? 
See Matthew xxiii : 13 to 38. 

Did he ever go into the temple again ? See xxiii : 39 ; 
and xxiv : 1. 

As he was going to the Mount of Olives, what did he 
tell his disciples ? xxiv : 2 ; and Mark xiii : 1-3. 

What did they ask him as he sat on the mountain ? 

How did he answer them ? 

What was Judas already planning ? 

How long after this was Jesus betrayed by Judas ? 
Which part of the address is in this book ? 

What are the three subjects of this part of the ad- 
dress ? 

How are they made plain ? 
What does ' Then ' mean in the first verse? Answer. 'At 
the hour when the Son of Man comes.' Read xxiv : 42, 43, 
44. 

If the virgins took lamps, was the wedding by day 
or by night ? 

Did weddings last more than one day in Judea ? 

A wedding lasted generally seven days. Some of the young 
friends of the bride, like our bridesmaids, waited with her at 
her father's house. Some friends of the bridegroom went 
with him, when he came to take her home. The virgins may 
have waited at the bride's house for the bridegroom to come, 
or may have gone out to meet him from his father's house 
when he came back. 

Were the lamps like ours ? Answer, No. They 



76 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

were either little vessels, shaped something like the 
half of an egg, cut lengthwise ; or they were cups, 
with an iron or brass rod, around which a rag was 
wound for a wick. The cups would hold but a little 
oil, and the wick would not burn long unless the cups 
were filled again. 

How did some of the virgins differ from others? 

Why was it foolish to take lamps without oil ? 

Did the wise have oil in any thing else than in the lamps ? 

What does c tarried ' mean ? 

Why was it proper to be sleeping then ? 

At what time was the cry made ? 

Is this cry a thing that they do now in the East ? 
Answer. Just at midnight the bridegroom usually 
comes, and the cry is just the same now as then. 

At an Eastern wedding in India, which a missionary at- 
tended, after waiting two or three hours, near midnight, the 
cry was made : * Behold ! the bridegroom cometh : go out to 
meet him.' 

What is meant by trimmed their lamps ? 
Why did the lamps of the foolish virgins go out ? 
Why did the wise virgins refuse to give oil to the foolish ? 
How only could the foolish have their lamps burn 
again ? 

' The Lord now represents himself as the bridegroom, who 
comes to the earthly church, as the bride, that he may con- 
duct her to his dwelling. 7 

The whole Church of God on earth, as one body of believ- 
ers, is represented as the bride, whom Jesus, the bridegroom, 
will one day come to take home to himself; and each Christ- 
ian, as a single person, is like a virgin, who waits with the bride 
for the Heavenly Bridegroom. 

Who is meant by the bridegroom in this parable ? 

Who is meant by the bride ? Read Revelation xix : 
7, 8 ; and xxi : 9, 10. 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 77 

Who are meant by the virgins ? 

If ( virgins ' means Christians, what is meant by their 
lamps and their oil ? 

What time to Christians is meant by the 'mid- 
night'? 

What is meant by the * cry ' ? 

Is it meant that such a cry will be heard by you ? 

The lamp is the heart of the Christian ; the flame which 
burns on the lamp is the pious life of the Christian ; the oil is 
the Holy Spirit, who only makes the pious life to burn. 

How are you to be like the wise virgins ? 
How may you be like the foolish virgins ? 



Cbxeti iuil) Stt nbrnr . 



10. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came ; and they 
that were ready went in with him to the marriage : and the door was 
shut. 

11. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, 
open to us. 

12. But he answered and said, Verily, I say unto you, I know you 
not. 

13. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour 
wherein the Son of man cometh. 

14. For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far 
country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his 
goods. 

15. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to an- 
other one ; to every man according to his several ability ; and straight- 
way took his journey. 

16. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with 
the same, and made them other five talents. 

17. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other 
two. 

18. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and 
hid his lord's money. 



?S THE FOURTH YEAE. 

Tell me who are meant by the bridegroom and the bride in 
this parable ? 

What hour is meant by midnight ? 
Who go in with the bridegroom to the marriage ? 
What is meant by c went in with him to the mar- 
riage ? 

In the land of Palestine, the bridegroom and the bride are 
considered married, when the bridegroom takes the bride from 
her father's house. To go in to the marriage, when the 
bridegroom comes back from the bride's house, is to go in to 
the marriage-feast, or marriage-festival, which lasted seven 
days. 

What is meant by the marriage, or marriage-feast, 
when Christ will come as the Bridegroom ? 

When was the door shut at those evening weddings ? 
Answer. As soon as the bridegroom and his company 
had gone in. 

• At the wedding in India, which the missionary attended, 
when the bridegroom and his friends went into the house, the 
door was immediately shut. The missionary and others tried 
to get the door-keepers to admit them, but the door was shut, 
and they could not open it. 

When is the door to the kingdom of heaven shut ? 
Who are represented by 'the other virgins ' ? 

Is the bridegroom meant by 'Lord, Lord,' or the 
master of the house ? 

When the door to the kingdom of heaven is once 
shut, will it ever be opened ? 
Why did the Master say that he did not know them ? An- 
swer. He did not acknowledge them, as they had not taken 
pains to be ready when he came. 

4 Watch therefore'' ; what is the meaning of therefore? An- 
swer. For this reason. 

For what reason ? 

How will the Son of man come to you ? 

How are you to watch for the da}^ and the 'hour ? 



THE FOUETH YEAB. 79 

Now we come to the next parable of the talents. In the 
parable of the virgins, the virgins located for the coming of the 
Lord. In this parable, the servants wovTc. The virgins were 
approved or condemned for their watchfulness. The servants 
are approved or condemned according to their icorJc. 

Who is represented by the c man ' in this parable ? 

Who by the ' servants' ? What by the ' goods' ? 

In the parable the man is represented as travelling into a 
far country, and leaving the servants with themselves. So 
God leaves us with our abilities and possessions to make 
right use of them, till he calls us to account for them. 

How much is a i talent' ? Answer. A thousand dollars, or 
more ; a large sum of money. 

When it is said that he gave five thousand dollars to 
one, and two thousand to another, and a thousand to 
another, what is meant by ' to eveiy man according to 
his ability ' ? 
What is the meaning of i straightway ' ? 
What did the man that had the five talents do at once ? 

How did he make them twice as much ? 
Did he that had two talents do any thing different from the 
one that had five ? 

If a king doubles his kingdom, and a store-keeper 
doubles his profits, do they both do the same thing or 
not? 
What did the man with one talent do ? 

What talents has God given to you ? 
How many kinds of talents can } t ou name, which he 
has given you ? 

How is a person with one talent just as responsible 
as a person with five talents ? 



83 THE FOURTH YEAR. 



Cfomtg-first Smtfrag, 



19. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reck- 
oneth with them. 

20. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other 
five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents : be- 
hold, I have gained beside them five talents more. 

21. His lord said unto him, "Well done, thou good and faithful ser- 
vant : thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee 
ruler over many things : enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 

22. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou 
deliveredst unto me two talents : behold, I have gained two other 
talents beside them. 

23. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; 
thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over 
many things : enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 

24. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, 
I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not 
sown, and gathering where thou hast not strewed : 

25. And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth : lo, 
there thou hast that is thine. 

26. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked aud slothful 
servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather 
where I have not strewed : 

27. Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the ex- 
changers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own 
with usury. 

Repeat again who are meant by the persons in this parable. 

What does the 'long time' of the nineteenth verse 
represent ? 

What does the reckoning represent ? 
What had the servant with five talents to say ? 

How had he gained them ? 
What did his lord say to the first ? 

What did he say of the future ? 

What did he tell him now to do ? 

What is meant by ' enter into the joy of thy lord ' ? 

Did he speak of five talents as much or little com- 
pared with what he should receive ? 



THE FOUBTH YEAB. 81 

What had the servant with two talents to say ? 

Had he gained them in any different way from those 
with five talents ? 
Did his lord blame him because he hadn't five talents in- 
stead of two ? 

If he had not done as well as the servant with the 
five talents, why did his lord say to him the same three 
things ? 

Does God give the same reward to all kinds of abili- 
ties ? 
1 He doubles his talents who saves his own soul, and his 
neighbor's.' 

What are our 'few things' which God gives us on 
earth ? 

What are the l many things ' which he will give to 
his faithful servants ? 
What did the servant with one talent have to say ? 

Will the person who has the least talents of all be 
overlooked in the reckoning ? 
What is meant by l hard man ' ? 
How do ' reaping where he had not sown, and gath- 
ering where he had not strewed' show him to have 
been a hard man ? 
Supposing what the servant had said to be true, was that 
any reason for hiding the talent ? 
Why was he afraid ? 

If any misfortune should happen to him, while he was 
using the talent to make it more, he was afraid that his lord 
would know it, and be harsh to him for it. But he had no 
good reason to think so. He only imagined it. 

Why wasn't it enough for this servant to bring back 
just the talent which his lord gave him ? 

Why isn't it enough for us just to keep from doing 
harm with our abilities, without doing good ? 
See how David did not hide his talents, in the fortieth psalm, 
the tenth verse. 



82 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

It was more work for the wicked servant to dig a place to 
bury his talent, and to watch the money, than to go to the 
exchangers with it. Men often do more hard things to avoid 
a religious life, than they would have to do in a religious life. 

In what things was he a wicked servant ? 
What is a slothful servant ? 

Did the lord mean to say that he was such a hard 
master, as the servant had said ? 

Some persons think this part of the verse is a question, like 
this : Did you know that I reap where I do not sow, etc. ? 
Or it may be spoken in sarcasm : Thou hneicest, indeed, that I 
reap, etc., then why did you not put my money at the ex- 
changers ? 

What is the force of * therefore/ in the twenty- seventh 
verse? Answer. If thou knewest, then thou mightestybr this 
very reason. If I am a hard, exacting master, then you might 
have known that I would be hard with you, if you did not gain 
something with your money. 

Who are meant by the ' exchangers ' ? 

What does ' mine own ' mean ? ' 

What is 'usury'? Answer. Use of monejr, or the 
gain made by using it. 

Do you think that what the slothful servant said 
was any thing more than an excuse for his indolence ? 

The foolish virgins thought the bridegroom would be too 
"kind to shut the door against them ; and the slothful servant 
thought his master too severe for him to try to make profit 
with his talent; and so men are always thinking either that 
God is too hind to punish sin, or that he is too severe for them 
to do his service. 



r 



THE FOURTH TEAR. Rg 



Cfoeniir-stconb Sunburn. 

28. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which 
hath ten talents. 

29. For unto every one that hath shall he given, and he shall have 
abundance : but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that 
which he hath. 

SO. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness; there 
shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

31. ^Vhen the Son of man shall come in his glory, and ail the holy 
angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory : 

32. And before him shall be gathered all nations : and he shall sep- 
arate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from 
the goats : 

33. And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on 
the left. 

34. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye 
blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the 
foundation of the world : 

35. For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat : I was thirsty, and 
ye gave me drink : I was a stranger, and ye took me in. 

36. Naked, and ye clothed me : I was sick, and ye visited me : I 
was in prison, and ye came unto me. 

Whom does the Lord tell to ' take the talent from him ' ? 
What is the meaning of 'therefore' here? 
Why is the one talent given to him that has ten ? 

The lord gave ten to which servant he pleased, and five to 
which one he pleased ; and now he gives the one talent to the 
servant who had ten, and not to the servant who has five, 
just as he thinks best to do. God gives to us as he pleases, 
and no one is wronged in any way. 

What is it which every one must have, in order to have 
more given to him ? 

i Abundance ' of what shall be given him ? 
What ought you to gain after God first gives you 
your abilities ? 

If you do not make your abilities gain something, 



.'84 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

how will the abilities be taken away ? Answer. If 
the}^ are not used, they grow weaker. 

How can you take away something from a person 
who has nothing ? See the explanation in Luke viii : 
18. 
What besides taking away his abilities did the lord com- 
mand ? Why ? 

What kind of a servant did his lord say that he 
was ? 

What was the ' outer darkness ' ? 

The palace of the lord was bright and beautiful within, and 
without was darkness. A place of punishment like a dun- 
geon may be meant, outside the palace walls. 

What does ' weeping and gnashing of teeth ' show 
was the feeling of those in the place of outer dark- 
ness ? 

What is the lesson of this parable ? Read it, plainly 
told, in 2 Corinthians v : 10. 

What is meant by ' accountability ' ? Answer. That 
we must each give an account of himself. 

Repeat any passage of Scripture which plainly teach- 
es that we must give such an account. Answer. Read 
Romans xiv : 10 and 12 ; and Ecclesiastes xii : 14. 
What is represented to us by the ' outer darkness ' ? 
What is represented by the ' weeping and gnashing 
of teeth ' ? 

What is the brilliant palace of the king ? 
Is it any excuse for us for not using our talents that 
we have not as many as others ? 
God gives to every one of us at least a talent — power to 
speak and power to act. The poorest and richest can speak 
and act for him. To some God gives more talents — riches, and 
honors, great attractiveness in face and manners, skill in 
working and planning. And to some he gives still more tal- 
ents — great wisdom of mind, great learning, great eloquence, 
kingly rule, etc. Read the last part of Luke xii : 48. 



THE FOURTH YEAR. $5 

What is the subject of the last parable of this address? 
Who is the Son of Man ? 
Explain ' shall come in his glory ' f 
Do the angels help or not to make up his glory ? 

1 Glory ' is brightness, like the pouring light of sun-rise or 
sun-set ; or glory is splendid riches and honor, like the glory 
of Solomon ; or glory is the open display of riches, and hon- 
or, and power, as when a king comes out before all the people 
to be crowned. The Son of Man, in all his glory, is the Son 
of Man in the open display of all his honor and power, as 
when God came down on Mount Sinai in his glory. 

When was the Son of Man in glory once in earth ? 
Read Matthew xvii : 1, 2, 5 ; and 2 Peter i : IT, 18. 

Tell me how Isaiah once described the glory of the 
Lord. Read Isaiah vi : 1-4. 

Tell me the description of Daniel. Read Daniel 
vii : 9, 10. 

Tell me the description of the Book of the Revela- 
tion. Read Revelation xx : 11, 12. 

When the day of judgment comes, will the Judge 
come to us or we go to him ? 

Who will be King and Judge then on the throne, the 
Father or the Son ? Answer. Read Acts x : 40-4-2 ; 2 
Timothy iv : 1. 
When he sa} T s 'all nations' will be gathered, does he mean 
that only the nations, or that single men will be judged ? 

Can you show that ' one from another ' does not mean 
simply one nation from another ? 

How does a shepherd divide sheep and goats from 
each other — singly or all at once ? 

All the angels will be there ; all nations will be there ; what 
a place will that be to have our good and evil deeds known \ 

Who are meant by the sheep and ' the goats ' ? 

What is the reason that the sheep are placed at the 
right hand, and the goats at the left f 



86 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

Notice that the goats represent the nature of wicked men, 
as sheep do that of good men. Goats are wild, stubborn, 
conceited and sinful ; and sheep are meek, gentle and obedi 
ent. 

To which ones will the King speak first ? 

When he speaks of his Father, whom does the King 
show that he himself is ? 

What kingdom does he mean ? 

What does ' blessed of my Father ' mean ? 

How was the kingdom c prepared from the foundation 
of the world ' ? 

Fathers prepare their fortune, their lands, their houses, for 
their children, so that their children may inherit them. God, 
our eternal and kingly Father, when he made men on earth, 
prepared for the good a kingdom, so that they might inherit 
it. As that kingdom was prepared from the foundation of the 
world, it is now ready, and waiting for you to inherit it. 

What six reasons do»s*the King give why they should now 
have this kingdom ? 

Are these all separate reasons, or are they parts of 
one reason ? 

Are these six things eas}^ or difficult things to do? 

Notice that although all these things are simple, they cost 
something. To give meat and drink to the hungry and 
thirsty, to take into your house a stranger, and to give cloth- 
ing to the naked, costs money. Even water was sometimes 
sold in that Eastern country. To visit the sick and the pris- 
oners costs time and sympathy, and makes us give of our 
ease and comfort, as well as perhaps give money. 



THE FOTJSTH YEAR. 



37. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw 
we thee an hungered, and fed thee ? or thirsty, and gave thee drink ? 

3S. When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in ? or naked, and 
clothed thee? 

39. Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee ? 

40. And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto 
you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my 
brethren, ye have done it unto me. 

41. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from 
me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his au- 
gels : 

42. Por I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat : I was thirsty, 
and ye gave .me no drink : 

43. I wag a stranger, and ye took me not in : naked, and ye clothed 
me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 

44. Then shall they also answer him saying, Lord, when saw we 
thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in pris- 
on, and did not minister unto thee ? 

45. Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, In- 
asmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to 
me. 

43. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment : but the 
righteous into life eternal. 

Have the persons on the right hand been called 'the right- 
eous ' before in this parable ? 

Didn't they know whether they had done these 
things or not ? 
How does the King answer ? 

Where had Jesus said that the things done to his 
disciples are done to him ? See the fortieth verse of the 
eighteenth Sunday. 

"Who are meant by the ' least of his brethren ' ? 
Why are the most humble of Christ's brethren in 
this world apt to be overlooked ? 

Does Christ the King overlook them ? 
Did Jesus anywhere command us to feed the hun- 
gry, clothe the poor, etc. ? 



83 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

And what did he say on earth about giving to his 
least ones ? Answer. Matthew x : 42. 

If you feed one who is truly poor, will you be wel- 
comed for that ? 

If you feed or clothe or help one of Christ's disci- 
ples, and who is poor, will you be welcomed simply for 
that ? 

How are you to do it, so that you will be welcomed ? 
What does the King call those on the left hand ? 

What does ' cursed ' mean ? 

The King does not say ' cursed ' of my Father, as he had 
said '"blessed of my Father.' The blessing comes from God 
but the curse comes from themselves, and their own sin. 

What does ' everlasting fire ' mean ? 

Unless we have bodies in the other world, how can 
fire burn us ? 

For whom was this fire prepared ? 
Have they bodies ? 
What six reasons does the King give why they should be 
cursed ? 

Are these six separate reasons, or six parts of one 
reason ? 
Did they know that they had not done these things ? 

The wicked would pretend that they had always been ready 
to serve Christ. How glad they would be to prove themselves 
righteous ! 



i & j 



What is meant by ' minister unto thee ' ? 
How did Jesus say that they had not done these things ? 

Are those on the left hand condemned because they 
did some wicked thing, or because they did not do some 
good thing ? 

How many men in this world are continually saying that 
they never do any thing against the Saviour ; when they ought 
to be doing something for him. 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 89 

Do you think that none of them had ever feci poor 
people, or clothed the naked on earth ? 

What was it that so filled their minds that they did 
not know that they were neglecting the King's breth- 
ren ? 

What does Jesus tell us about despising his little 
ones? 
What is the end of the two classes of persons ? 

Which is to be longer, the reward or the punish- 
ment ? 

If you could prove that the word ' everlasting,' be- 
fore i punishment,' does not mean for ever, what would 
it prove about the meaning of the word ' eternal,' after 
1 life ' ? 

Kecite another proof-text of the doctrine of eternal 
punishment. For an answer, recite Matthew xii : 32. 

The King first welcomes the good, while the wicked are 
present. But the good do not go from the place of judgment 
into heaven itself, until the wicked are sent from the judg- 
ment into their punishment. The wicked see nothing of eter- 
nal life, while the good see the wicked sent away into punish- 
ment. Read chapter xiii : 49, 50 ; and Psalm ix : 17. 



OUR SAVIOUR'S ADDRESS 01 RICHES. 

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MARK. 

CHAPTER X. 

17. And v/hen lie was gone forth into the way, there came one run- 
ning, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I 
do that I may inherit eternal life? 

18. And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good ? there i3 
none good but one, that is, God. 

19. Thou knowest the commandments, Bo not commit adultery, Do 



00 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Hon- 
or thy father and mother. 

20. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I 
observed from my youth. 

21. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One 
thing thou lackest : go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give 
to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven : and come, take 
up the cross, and follow me. 

22. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved : for he 
had great possessions. 

23. And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, 
How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of 
God! 

This address was made by our Saviour somewhere on the 
journey from Bethany across the river Jordan and back 
again to Bethany. The Jews at Jerusalem tried to kill him 
for raising Lazarus at Bethany, and he left the city, and 
had gone into the country and the villages and across the 
Jordan, till he came back to Bethany, to make his triumphal 
entry into the city of Jerusalem. Head the first verse of this 
chapter, and the thirty-second. 

Was this address before or after the address on the Mount 
of Olives ? 

What do we know about the age of this man who came 
running ? Read Matthew xix : 20. 

Was he a man in any public position ? Head Luke 
xviii : 18. 

What does the kneeling show that he thought of 
Jesus ? 

He was a young man : he was a ruler : he was rich : he 
prided himself on keeping the commandments : he thought 
very well therefore of himself. And 3^et he came running to 
Jesus — while Jesus was on his journey — while there were 
people around him — and he kneeled to him, or saluted him in 
the Eastern style, as his superior. He was therefore very 
eager and very earnest in honoring Jesus, and in asking him. 



THE FOURTH YEAE. 01 

What did he mean by calling him 4 good Master ' ? 
What did he ask him ? 

He believed that he himself was nearly or quite right in his 
ife ; and }^et he felt there was something lacking, or he would 
lot have asked Jesus such a question. It may be that he 
rished to have Jesus say that he need to do nothing more 
;han he was doing, to have eternal life. 

Is it hard for us to think that we cannot do any thing 
which will give us eternal life ? 
Wasn't it right for him to call Jesus good ? 

Did Jesus mean to reprove him for calling him 
good? 

The young man thought perhaps that every thing which he 
did or said was right ; and Jesus showed him how easy it was 
to find wrong in what he said or did. It is as if Jesus had 
said : ' You think yourself without sin : and yet you have just 
thoughtlessly called me, whom you think to be a human teach- 
er, good, when no one is good but God.' Or as if he had said 
this : You call me good : none is good but God : do you call 
me then God ? 

Did Jesus repeat to him all the commandments ? How 
many ? 

To which table of the commandments do those which 
he repeated belong ? 

Is every one of the commandments of the second 
table given ? 

What does ' Defraud not ' mean ? Answer. It prob- 
ably is a short way of giving the tenth commandment, 
meaning c Defraud not oy coveting. 1 If it meant only 
* steal not,' it would be the same as the other command, 
4 Do not steal.' 
These commands Jesus gives as the commands of God. 
1 One only is good, that is God : you know the words of God.' 

What is the meaning of ' have I observed ' ? 

How long did he say he had kept them ? 



92 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

Had he kept them, as the Saviour had explained] 
them in the Sermon on the Mount ? Read Matthew v : 
21-28. 

Would Jesus then think that he had kept them ? 

After the young man had said this, what question 
does Matthew say that he asked ? Matthew xix : 20. 

Can any person understand the real meaning of the 
commands of God, who thinks that he has always kept 
them ? 

If any one hasn't kept even the second table of the 
law, has he kept the first ? 
4 Jesus beholding him loved ' him : does this mean that he 
loved him differently from his love for all men ? 

What was there in him more than in any one else to 
make Jesus love him ? 

Did Jesus mean, by telling him that he lacked one 
thing, that all the rest of his obedience was perfect ? 

Jesus meant to show him that his obedience to the com- 
mandments lacked one thing. This one thing was a love to 
God, which was greater than his love for riches. The selling 
of his goods would be proof which he loved more than the 
other. 

What was the one thing that he lacked ? 

Why did Jesus tell him to sell all that he had, and 
give to the poor ? 

Do you understand ' have treasure in heaven ' to 
mean the same as ' inherit eternal life,' in the seven- 
teenth verse ? 

What could the young man understand by ' take up 
the cross and follow me'? 

You should think how the young man had called Jesus 
c Good Master,* and had honored Jesus by asking him for 
eternal life. If he really thought Jesus a True Teacher, able to 
tell him how to have eternal life, he should have been willing 
to come and follow him. Jesus wished to show him that he 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 93 

had something which he loved more than the commandments, 
and more than he did the ' Good Master.' 

Why was he sad at what Jesus said ? 

Did he go away to sell his goods ? 
May a man sincerely believe that he is willing to 
obey the Saviour, and yet not be willing ? 

It makes no difference whether riches is the ruling passion, 
or pleasure, or honor, or power, or any thing else. Generally 
every one lacks one thing ; and by that one thing he is kept 
from the Saviour. This } T oung man preferred to 'inherit' the 
possessions rather than to ' inherit ' eternal life. 

What did Jesus say to his disciples after he had gone ? 
What does ( how hardly ' mean ? 
Does this say that a rich man cannot enter the king- 
dom of God ? 

When Jesus said this, he looked round upon the disciples, 
as if to show his astonishment that so lovely a young man 
should choose riches to eternal life. 



C^mitr-MI; Simban 



24. And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus an- 
swered again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them 
that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God ! 

25. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than 
for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 

26. And they were astonished out of measure, saying among them- 
selves, Who then can be saved ? 

27. And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, 
but not with God : for with God all things are possible. 

28. Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and 
have followed thee. 

29. And Jesus answered and said, Yerily I say unto you, There is 
no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or 
mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, 

30. But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and 



9 4 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with per- 
secutions ; and in the world to come eternal life. 
31. But many that are first shall he last ; and the last first. 

What was it which made the disciples astonished? 

What was there particularly in this young man to 
make them astonished at Jesus' words ? 

The disciples were in the habit of thinking that the rich 
and powerful would have a place in the Messiah's kingdom ; 
and they were no doubt greatly troubled, as well as aston- 
ished, when Jesus said the rich would hardly come into his 
kingdom. 

Notice how kind and tender Jesus is in answering them, 
calling them ' children,' to show that he would not give them 
needless alarm or fear. 

What is the emphatic word in the last part of the 
verse ? Answer. l Trust.' Eead it so. 

What is it to l trust in riches ' ? Read Psalm lxii : 
10; Timothy vi : 17. 

Are there more or less temptations to the rich than 
to the poor ? Answer. Read 1 Timothy vi : 9, 10. 

How do riches hinder belief in the word of God ? 
Answer. See Matthew xiii : 22. 

Name as many temptations of riches as you can. 
Look at Proverbs xviii : 11 and 23, xxviii : 22 ; Jere- 
miah xvii : 11 ; James ii : 6, v : 1 and 4 ; Revelation 
iii : 17. 

Are riches bad in themselves ? 

Why are they bad at all ? 

Is it right, then, to seek to be rich ? 
Does the twenty-fifth verse show that it is impossible, or 
only difficult, for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God ? 

Who is meant by ' a rich man ' ? Find, if you can, 
the explanation in the twenty-fourth verse. 

It is impossible for a camel to go through the eye of a nee- 
dle. Is is just as impossible for a man who feels rich, and is 



THE FOUBTH YEAR. 95 

not poor in spirit, to enter into the strait gate of the kingdom 
of heaven. If a rich man is ever saved, it is not as a rich 
man, but as a poor sinner. 

What is the true wish in respect to growing rich ? 
Head Proverbs xxx : 8, 9. 

Is it money itself, or trusting in it, which is full of 
evil ? Read 1 Timothy vi : 10. 

The true way to keep off the temptation of riches, is to be 
in the habit of giving them away freely; for that, keeps us 
from making them our chief love, and it leads us to think 
more of the wants of others than of our own. 

What does ' astonished out of measure'' mean? Answer. 
They were utterly astonished, or almost out of their senses, 
to hear Jesus say it so much stronger than he did before. 

To whom did they say, ' Who then can be saved ' ? 
But did the disciples think, in saying this, that every 
tody was rich ? 

Are all men trying to be rich ? 

The disciples were themselves poor, but they probably 
thought that the rich were in a very favorable position for the 
kingdom of the Messiah ; and if they could not enter, no one 
could. They themselves were hoping to he rich in Messiah's 
kingdom, as they knew all men wish to be rich ; and they 
had heard Jesus speak so much that they knew that he meant 
the desire of the heart as much as the work of the life. 

Even after the disciples had said this, did Jesus then say 
that it was only very difficult, or impossible ? 

If it is left ' icith men,'' will they trust in riches ? 
Who only can make a rich man turn from trusting 
in riches ? 

On whom must our heart be set ? Look at Psalm 
lxii :, 10 and 8. 

Who only fixes the heart on him ? Answer. John 
vi : 44. 



96 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

What is the meaning of ' looking upon them ' in that 
verse ? 
How did Peter now* turn the conversation ? 

Do you think ' began to say ' shows that he said all 
that he intended ? 

What is the meaning of 'Lo' ? Answer, 'See now! 
Look at this : We have left all ' ! 

What had Peter left when he followed Jesus ? 

What question, in Matthew, does Peter ask here? 
Matthew xix : 27. 

What did Jesus tell Peter that the twelve should 
have ? Matthew xix : 28. 

Notice what a wonderful answer it is which Jesus makes, 
after the disciples were so full of alarm and fear ; an answer 
given directly to them, because they had left all for him. 

"What two things are mentioned in verse twenty-nine which 
we must give up for Jesus ? Answer. Friends and possessions. 
Is there any thing that you love which does not be- 
long to one or the other of these ? 

If you give up both these, do you forsake all for 
Jesus ? 
Did Jesus mean that they who left their houses and friends 
would have a hundred times as many homes and friends ? 

What does ' now in this time ' mean ? See Luke 
xviii : 30. 

What does for c my sake and the gospeVs ' mean ? 
What would they have ' with y their friends and pos- 
- sessions ? 

We have the ' hundredfold ' returned to us in the pleasure 
which friends and possessions give. To love God first is to have 
every other kind of love made richer and s weeter. We are 
to expect some persecutions from others, if we love God first : 
but these persecutions are nothing to the persecutions of an 
injured conscience, and of the threatening of punishment 
hanging over us if we love another thing first. 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 97 

What besides the hundredfold in this life would they 
have? 
* First shall be last ' : first in what ? last in what ? 

1 The last first ' : last in what ? first in what ? 

Are the rich generally first or last in this world ? 

If you should put ' the love of worldly things ' in 
place of riches in this lesson, would the lesson be true ? 

"Which one verse about riches in this address should 
we remember most of all ? 

What prayer about riches have we had from tho 
Book of Proverbs which should be remembered ? 

And we should always remember that, if we have riches 
given us, the only safe way to have them is with poverty of 
spirit. 



^toenig-skt^ Smtimi?, 



REVIEW OF THE SECOND QUARTER. 

Recite in review the lessons of the quarter, taking a lesson apiece. 

What three addresses have we had this quarter ? 

When was the first of these addresses delivered ? the 
second ? the third ? 

In what part of our Saviour's life was the first deli- 
vered ? the second ? the third ? 

Tell me some things before and some things after 
the first address ; the second ; the third. 

I. The Address when he made the Disciples Apostles. 

How long a time was this address after the Sermon 
on the Mount ? 

What was it that made the disciples apostles t 

When did they become fully apostles ? 

Why is Peter ' the first \ in all the lists of the 
twelve ? 



9S THE FOUBTH YEAK. 

What is the last of the five things ? 

What are the three reasons given why they should 
not fear men ? 

What one thing does he tell them to have in mind 
through all this ? 

How does he sum it all up ? 

3. The disturbance or war which the work will make. 

What kind of kingdom did the Jews think Messiah's 
kingdom would be ? 

Did Jesus say that he had come to be such a king ? 

4. The test of persons in this warfare. 

Who is worthy of Jesus in this warfare ? 

What was it in those days to ' take up a cross ' ? 

When we receive the servants of Jesus whom else do 
we receive ? 

What smallest thing does Jesus say shall be remem- 
bered ? 

Is the reward because we deserve it ? 
II. The Address on the Mount op Olives. 

How long was this address before Jesus was cruci- 
fied? 

Tell me some of the things which Jesus had done in 
Jerusalem. 

Was he in the temple after this address ? 

What had he told his disciples about the temple ? 

What had they asked him ? 

Is this the whole or part of the address ? 

What are the three subjects in this part ? 
How is the first subject made plain ? 

Who is meant by the SSon of Man' ? 

Who are meant by the bridegroom and the bride ? 
by the virgins ? 

What is meant by the lamps ? the oil ? the midnight 
cry? 

What is meant by the marriage-feast when Christ is 
the bridegroom ? 

What shuts the door to us ? 



THE FOURTH YEAS. 99 

What is the doctrine of the parable ? 
How is the second subject of this address made plain ? 

Who is meant by l the man ' ? by the servants ? the 
4 goods ' ? 

What was the difference in the accounts given by the 
servants ? 

What is the difference in the awards ? 

What was the excuse of the servant with one talent ? 

Why is it not enough for us to give back our talents 
just as God gave them to us ? 

What is the difference between the excuse of the 
foolish virgins and of the slothful servants ? 

What is the subject of this parable? 

Eepeat any texts which plainly teach it. 
How is the third subject of this parable made plain ? 

Who is the Son of Man ? 

Who will be Judge— the Son or the Father ? 

How do you show that persons and not nations will 
be judged ? 

What does ' on his right hand ' and * on his left ' 
signify ? 

What does the King give to those on his right hand ? 
For what reason ? 

What does he give to those on the left hand ? 

Is their sin what they had done or had not done ? 

Is it enough for you to say that you have never done 
any thing against the Saviour ? 

Give a proof-text of the doctrine of eternal punish- 
ment. 
III. The Address on Riches. 

Was this address before or after the Address on the 
Mount of Olives ? 

On what journey was it made? 

Show how this young man was in earnest 

What did he ask Jesus? 

How did Jesus show him that he was not obeying 
the commandments ? 



100 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

What was the one thing that he lacked ? 

What did Jesus tell him to do ? Why ? 

What did Jesus say to his disciples after the young 
man had gone ? 

Why is it impossible with man and possible with 
God? 

Name some of the temptations of riches. 

Are riches bad in themselves ? 

What two things must we give up for Jesus ? 

What will we have in return ? 

What may you put in the place of riches, in this par- 
able, and have the address still true ? 



THE FOURTH YEAR. J 01 

THE ADDRESS II THE SYNAGOGUE OF CAPEMAUM. 

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. 

CHAPTER VI. 

22. The day following, when the people which stood on the other 
side of the sea, saw that there was none other boat there, save that one 
whereinto his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with 
his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone ; 

23. (Howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias, nigh unto the 
place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks :) 

24. When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither 
his disciples, they also took shipping and came to Capernaum, seek- 
ing for Jesus. 

25. And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they 
said to him, Rabbi, when earnest thou hither ? 

26. Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, 
ye seek me, not because, ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat 
of the loaves, and were filled. 

27. Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which 
endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto 
you : for him hath God the Father sealed. 

23. Then said they unto him, "What shall we do, that we might 
work the works of God ? 

29. Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, 
that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. 

Capernaum was Jesus' home more than any other place. In 
the synagogue he had often spoken on the Sabbath day. 
After he came back from his second journey to Jerusalem, he 
lived, we suppose, about a year at Capernaum. He used to 
go out into different parts of Galilee and across the lake, to 
preach and to do miracles, coming back again to the city. 
Once when he went out, he preached the Sermon on the 
Mount. At another time, when he went out, he made his dis- 
ciples apostles, and made his address to them, xlfter both 
these addresses, he made this address in the synagogue in 
Capernaum. The address was on the next day after he walked 
on the water in the night. 



102 THE FOURTH YEAE. 

The subject of the address is { The Bread of Life ;' and to 
see the force and the beauty of the address, you will need to 
rernSmber that the day before, Jesus had created bread on the 
other side of the lake for five thousand people, and that many 
of the people in the synagogue in Capernaum were the same 
people who saw the miracle and ate the bread the day before. 

How do you know that this address was made in the syna- 
gogue of Capernaum ? Bead verse fifty-nine. 

How do you know that he had often spoken there ? 
Read Matthew iv : 12, 13, and Luke iv : 31, 32. 

Name any miracles which he had done near Caper- 
naum that year. 

What addresses had he made ? 
What day was * the day following,' in the first verse of this 
lesson ? Following what ? 

In the first part of this chapter, from verse one to verse 
five, you may see that Jesus had gone over the lake, and great 
crowds of people had come to him ; from verse six to verse 
fourteen, you will see that he created bread for five thousand 
people ; in verse fifteen, that the people wanted to make him 
a king; from verse sixteen to twenty-one, that during the 
night he walked on the lake ; and then comes * the day follow- 
ing,' on which he made this address. 

How had the disciples crossed the sea ? 
How had Jesus crossed ? 

Which side of the lake is meant by ' the other side ' 
— the east side or the west side ? 
What is the meaning of ' Howbeit ' ? 

On which side of the lake was Tiberias ? 
Was it far from Capernaum ? 
Had any boats gone to Tiberias ? 
What did the people do when they missed Jesus ? 

What * shipping ' did they take ? Answer. There were 
no boats there but those that came from Tiberias. 

Does ■ shipping ' mean large ships ? Answer. No ; 
fishing-boats. 



THE FOURTH YEAR. ]Q3 

The people were wondering what had become of Jesus, 
whom yesterday they had wanted to make king. Only one 
boat had gone. The disciples went in that boat, but Jesus 
was not in it. They must have concluded that Jesus was 
walking or had walked around the head of the lake. Other 
boats came soon from Tiberias, and the people took them to 
get across the lake, to the place where they supposed Jesus 
must have gone. 

At what place, on the other side of the lake, did they find 
Jesus ? The fifty-ninth verse shows. 

"What was the question first in their minds ? 

Could they account for the way in which he came ? 
Did Jesus tell them when he came ? 

From whom could they easily find out ? 
What reason does Jesus give why they had been 
seeking him ? 

4 Not because ye saw the miracles ' means, no doubt, ' not 
because ye acknowledged the miracles/ To acknowledge the 
miracles was to acknowledge that he who did the miracle had 
divine power ; and to seek Jesus because he was divine, was 
right. But to seek Jesus simply because they were hungry, 
expecting him to feed them again, as he did the day before, or 
because they liked to see the wonderful things which he did, 
without acknowledging him to be divine was wrong and selfish. 
Perhaps, too, they expected to have him give food to them 
every day, without their working for it. 

Notice that Jesus does not speak of the one miracle of the 
day before, but of more miracles than one. He does not say, 
1 because ye saw the miracle,' but the miracles. Perhaps he 
meant the miracle of walking on the water, as well as the mir- 
acle of creating bread. 

In what sense ought they to have sought to see his 
miracles ? 

Why does he say 4 miracles' 1 and not miracle f 
What is meant by ' meat which perisheth ' ? 



104 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

Explain * meat which endureth unto everlasting life.' 
Answer. The food which will give you eternal life. 

1 Meat ' means food ; and meat which will give eternal life, 
means something which will give eternal life to the soul, just 
as food gives mortal life to the bod}'. 

How does the Son of Man give that food ? 

How has God the Father 'sealed 1 the Son of Man ? 

A seal is used to stamp a letter when it is folded, or at the 
end of a writing like a will or deed, to show that it is right and 
true ; and by the miracles of Jesus, God hath stamped his seal 
on Jesus' life and work, showing that they were right and 
true. 

When they asked, What shall we do, that we might work 
the works of God,' had Jesus said any thing about xoorlcf 
Answer. ' Labor not for the meat that perisheth,' might read 
just as well 'Work not for the meat that perisheth.' 

What is meant by * works of God ' ? Answer. Works 
pleasing to God. 

Did the}' think that to do things pleasing to God was 
to work for the meat which endures unto everlasting 
life? 

What kind of work were the Jews to do, in order to 
have eternal life ? Ansioer. Leviticus xviii : 4, 5. 
What did Jesus say was the work pleasing to God ? 

Did he mean that they must believe then that he was 
their Saviour ? 

It was their part to believe that Jesus was sent by God,, be- 
cause he did the miracles ; and then, if they believed that he 
was not sent of God, to believe. that he was the Messiah and 
the Saviour, if he should teach them so. 

All the 'works of God' which he requires of us in the Old 
Testament and in the New, are only this one l work of God'— 
to believe on his Son. If wo believe on the Saviour, we wil 
be ready to do all the other works which he tells us to do. 






THE FOURTH YEAR. jq- 



80. They said therefore unto him, "What sign showest thou then, 
that we may see, and believe thee ? what dost thou work? 

31. Our fathers did eat manna in the desert ; as it is written, He 
gave them bread from heaven to eat. 

32. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses 
gave you not that bread, from heaven ; but my Father giveth you the 
true bread from heaven. 

33. For the bread of God is he which cometh clown from heaven, 
and giveth life unto the world. 

34. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. 

35. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life : he that com- 
eth to me shall never hunger ; and he that believeth on me shall never 
thirst. 

36. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. 

37. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me ; and him that 
cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. 

When Jesus was with the Samaritan woman, at the well 
near Sychar, he led her thoughts from the water of the well 
to himself as the Water of Life. So here in the synagogue of 
Capernaum, he leads the thoughts of the people from the bread 
which he had created the day before to himself, as the Bread 
of Life. 

What is meant by i sign ' ? Answer. A miracle. 
Did they need another miracle to help them to be- 
lieve ? 

What does ' What dost thou work ' mean ? 

Perhaps some of the people in the synagogue didn't see the 
miracle the day before, and wanted him to do a miracle there 
in Capernaum 

Where is it WTitten, ' He gave them bread from heaven to 
eat'? 

Who is meant by 'He'? 

In speaking of the manna, did they mean that Jesus 
should do such a miracle as the giving of manna ? 



106 THE FOURTH YExiE. 

They meant, no doubt, You only fed a few thousands a sin- 
gle time with common bread ; Moses gave manna like rain from 
heaven to thousands, for forty years. If you are* the one of 
whom Moses spoke, and greater than Moses, why do you not 
do a miracle as great as his ? 

What did Jesus answer ? 

If Moses did not give the manna, who did give it ? 
Read Psalm Ixxviii : 22 to 24. 

What did Jesus mean by * the true bread from hea- 
ven'? 

It is as if the Saviour had said, Moses did not give that 
bread, but God gave it to you from heaven ; and now my 
Father giveth you true bread from heaven, a thing greater and 
better than the miracle of feeding the five thousand, or of the 
forty years' manna. 

What does Jesus explain the true food to be ? 

In what two things, in this verse, is he like the 
manna ? 

Can life be kept without bread ? 
Did manna give life to the world ? 
When the people in the synagogue answered, 'Evermore 
give us this bread,' do you think they understood what Jesus 
meant ? 

What did the woman at the well of Sychar say like 
this ? Read chapter iv : 15. 

Why did they wish bread ' evermore ' ? 

Perhaps they thought that this wonderful life-giving bread 
would be given them daily, as manna was to their fathers. 

Why does Jesus call himself the ' bread of life ' ? 

The true bread from heaven is not bread for the hunger of 
the body, but is He who came down to be food for the life of 
the soul. I am that one who came down from heaven. 

How shall he that * cometh to me ' never hunger ? 
How shall he that ' believeth on me ' never thirst ? 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 107 

It is as if Jesus had said, 1 1 am the bread of life ;' he that 
cometh to me shall never hunger ; and I am the water of life, 
and he that believeth on me shall never thirst' And as com- 
ing to Jesus and believing on Jesus both give satisfaction and 
life to the soul, they may both be represented by hunger or 
thirst. 

Where had Jesus said to them, * Ye also have seen me and 
believe not ' ? 

That was what he meant in the twenty-sixth verse, Ye saw 
me do the miracles, and yet believed not. Perhaps he meant, 
too, what he had said at other times. 

What is meant by ' All that the Father giveth me ' ? 

'Shall come to me' — to ill they certainly come to 
him? 

What will make them come to him ? 

What is meant by ' in no wise cast out ' ? 

Does the 'Father give' anyone to Jesus who doesn't 
come of his own free will ? 

In coming to Jesus, is there any need of getting ready 
to come ? 

Is there any one who is not permitted to come to 
Jesus ? 

What a solemn thing was that which Jesus said to these 
people in the synagogue : c Ye have seen me, and do not be- 
lieve. But all that the Father hath given me shall come to 
me.' And it is placed before us. We can freely choose 
whether we will see him, and not believe, or be among those 
who come to him. 



108 THE FOUETH YEAR. 



Ctotnfn-|tratlj jlitabmn 

38. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the 
will of him that sent me. 

39. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all 
which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up 
again at the last day. 

40. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which 
seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life : and 
I will raise him up at the last day. 

41. The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the 
oread which came down from heaven. 

42. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father 
and mother we know ? how is it then that he saith, I came down from 
heaven ? 

43. Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not 
among yourselves. 

44. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me 
draw him : and I will raise him up at the last day. 

45. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of 
God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the 
Father, cometh unto me. 

46. Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, 
he hath seen the Father. 

For what did Jesus come down from heaven ? 
What is meant by ' to do the will ' ? 
Is it easy or difficult to do the will of another per- 
son or yourself ? 

What did He that sent Jesus sent him to do? 
What does the thirty-ninth verse say is the Father's will ? 
What is meant by 'all which he hath given me' ? 
' Should raise it up at the last day ' — what does ' it' 
mean ? 

Is it possible then for any one who believes on the 
Saviour to be lost ? 

It should be the greatest comfort to every truly pious heart, 
to keep these most precioys words : It is the great purpose of 
God the Father that no one should be lost who comes to his 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 209 

Son. It is the purpose and pleasure of God the Son to raise 
them up to be with him on the last day. 

What besides this does the fortieth verse say is the Father's 
Will? 

Can no one believe on the Son but he who sees him ? 

How are we now to see him, as well as believe on 
him? 

What will every one who sees him and believes on 
him have ? 

When is ' the last day ' ? 

What will Jesus then do to those who believe on 
him? 

Raise him u^from what ? to what? 

Will no others than those who believe on him be 
raised up ? 

Notice that the thirty-ninth and fortieth verses are two op- 
posite ways of saying the same thing. First, the Saviour says 
what will not happen to his disciples ; secondly, he says what 
will be theirs. First, it is the Father's will that not one shall 
be lost ; second, it is the Father's will that every one shall 
be saved, or have eternal life. 

What nVe doctrines are taught in this verse ? An* 
ewer. God wishes to sate men, is taught in the whole 
verse : Faith is taught in i believeth on him ; Heaven is 
taught in 4 everlasting life'; Resurrection is taught in 
4 raise him up ;' Judgment is taught in 4 the last day ' ? 
What w r as it at which the Jews murmured, that Jesus said, 
4 1 am the bread of life,' or, ' I came down from heaven ' ? 

What did they say about Jesus, to show that he couldn't 
have come down from heaven ? 

Where did Joseph live when Jesus was born ? 
How far was that place from Capernaum ? 
When they thought now of Jesus, did they think of 
the miracles which he had done ? 

Could Jesus have done the miracles if he had not 
come down from heaven ? 



HO THE FOURTH YEAR. 

"Was the murmuring 'among themselves/ among all the 
people of the Synagogue, or were the Jews only a part of the 
people ? 

In the forty-fourth verse, does Jesus go on to speak of what 
they were murmuring about, or not ? 

Jesus does not notice their unreasonable objection, but says 
again, what he said before, to make it stronger — that only the 
Father could give to him those who should be his. The Jews 
thought that they could do much themselves, but Jesus show- 
ed them that unless God draw them, they could do nothing. 

If any one is left to himself, will he ever come to 
Jesus f 

How does the c Father draw ' any one to come to 
Jesus ? 

It is as if Jesus had said to the people in the synagogue, 
4 Do not murmur about whether I came down from heaven or 
not, as if you would come to me if you really knew that I did 
come from heaven, for neither you nor any one else can ever 
come to me, unless God the Father draws him.' 

Where in the prophets is it written, 'And they shall all be 
taught of God' ? Read Isaiah liv : 13. 
Who is meant by ' they ' ? 
' Every man ' that ' hath heard ' what ? 
Does this mean that no one now can come to Jesus 
but he that is taught of God ? 

Is there any difference between 'drawn by the Fa- 
ther ' and ' taught of God ' ? 

The way in which men are drawn of God is by being taught 
of God, in his Word and by his Spirit. Any one who refuses 
to be taught by God's Word, and who refuses to listen to 
God's Spirit, cannot be drawn of the Father. Every one who 
hears God and listens to him, is drawn of the Father, and 
cometh to the Son. 

Is it necessary that a man should see God to be taught of 
God? 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 211 



What is meant by ' he which is of God ' ? 

What does ' save ' mean ? 

Can God be seen at all ? 

How does the Son of God see God the Father ? 



Cprfidfr jSmtiraty. 



47. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath 
everlasting life. 

48. I am that bread of life. 

49. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 

50. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man 
may eat thereof, and not die. 

51. I am the living bread which came down from heaven : if any 
man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever : and the bread that I 
will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. 

52. The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can 
this man give us his flesh to eat ? 

53. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ex- 
cept ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have 
no life in you, 

54. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal 
life ; and I will raise him up at the last day. 

55. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 

What difference is there between the forty-seventh verse 
and ' believeth on him may have everlasting life,' in the for- 
tieth verse ? 

It was possible for some of those in the synagogue not to 
understand exactly what he meant by ' the Son,' which he had 
been speaking of; but now, when he said, 4 He that believeth 
on mej they could not make a mistake. 

Why did Jesus say, ' Verily, verily, I say unto you,' 
before ' He that believeth on me, 1 etc ? 
Had Jesus said before, J I am that bread of life ' ? 
Why does he repeat it ? 



112 THE FOURTH YEAB. 

He had first said what he meant in a figure ; he now says it 
plainly, so that they could not mistake. 

Eead the forty-ninth verse, putting the emphasis on 'did' 
and l dead.' Reading the verse so, what is the meaning of it? 

Notice, too, the meaning of the verse before, putting the 
emphasis on life — ' I am the bread of life. Your fathers who 
ate the manna-bread are dead? 

What is the difference between that manna and this bread ? 
Did not that manna come down from heaven ? 
Is there any difference in the 4 heaven ' from which 
the . manna came down, and that l heaven ' from which 
the true bread came down ? 

Does ' not die ' mean the same kind of death as ' are 
dead ' in the verse before ? 
Does ' living bread ' mean bread which is ' alive ' or bread 
which gives life ? 

Had Jesus before spoken of eating this bread ? 
Show from the thirty-fifth verse, what he meant by 
eating this bread ? 

How is that bread the Jlesh of Jesus ? 
How did Jesus give his flesh for the life of the world ?. 
What is meant by 4 strove among themselves ' ? 

Read the fifty-second verse, putting the emphasis on 
4 Sow can? and on k flesh ' and c eaV 
Do you think it would have been easy for you to an- 
• swer that question if you had been there, and if you 
had not known that Jesus was going to die on the cross ? 
Do you think that Jesus meant them to understand 
then fully what he said ? 
In the next verse, does Jesus do any thing more than say 
again what he had already said ? 

You should think of Jesus as speaking these words to them 
again very slowly, as if he did it purposely to make them 
think that he meant just what he said before. Even if they 
couldnH understand it, he meant it. 



THE FOURTH YEAB. 113 

•Had Jesus said the flesh of the Son of man before ? 
Had he spoken of i drinking his blood ' before ? 

The Jews were solemnly forbidden by the law of God ever 
to taste blood; and they must have been greatly astonished 
to hear him say that they must drink the blood of a ma?i i and 
►f himself. 

What does ' Except 7 mean ? 

What kind of life does he mean in ' ye have no life 
in you ' ? 

How do Christ's followers eat his flesh and drink his 
blood at the Lord's Supper ? 

Explain then what is meant by eating his flesh and 
drinking his blood. 

Supposing some one should say that Jesus died on 
the cross only to be an example of patience and love 
and forgiveness, and not to give his life that we may 
live, could you make that agree with what this verse 
says ? 
What does ' Whoso * mean ? 

Does Jesus mean by 4 hath eternal life ' that the be- 
liever has it as soon as he believes ? 

1 And I will raise him ' up to what ' at the last day ' ? 
What does l my flesh ' and ' my blood ' show to the 
Jews in the synagogue that Jesus means by the Son of 
man ? 

What do l meat indeed ' and ' blood indeed y mean ? 

Meat and drink give and keep life in us. The death of 
Christ, represented by his flesh and blood, gives and keeps 
spiritual life in our souls. This is that something which, gives 
eternal life to the soul, as food gives mortal life to the body. 



Hi THE FOURTH YEAR. 



C§xrfg-firsi Sbotmrr, 



56. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketk my blood, dwelleth in me, 
and I in him. 

57. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father ; so 
he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. 

58. This is that bread which, came down from heaven : not as your 
fathers did eat manna, and are dead : he that eateth of this bread 
shall live for ever. 

59. These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Caper- 
naum. 

60. Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, 
This is a hard saying ; who can hear it ? 

61. When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, 
he said unto them, Doth this offend you ? 

62. What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he 
was before ? 

63. It is the spirit that quickeneth ; the flesh profiteth nothing : tho 
words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life. 

How can any one dwell in Jesus f 

How does Jesus dwell in him f 

Just as two friends live in each other, having one object and 
one thought, so the believer lives in Jesus and Jesus lives in 
the believer. 

How is it that ' eating my flesh and drinking my 
blood ' makes this union of our life to Jesus ? 

Any one who believes in his heart that the Son of God died 
in the flesh on the cross, and trusts that dying Saviour to save 
him, lives in Jesus. He would die eternally, if Jesus had not 
died for him. And, by trusting in Jesus, he continues to live 
in Jesus, or dwells in him. 

Why is God called 'the living Father' ? 

How does the Son of God live ly the Father ? 

If the Father should perish, would the Son live ? 

Explain then how the disciple lives by his Saviour. 
Explain This is that bread, etc. What does ' This ' mean ? 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 115 

Read this fifty- eighth verse as the summing up of the whole 
address. This is that bread of which I have been speaking, 
which came down from heaven ; not as your fathers did eat 
manna and are dead : he that eateth of this bread shall live 
for ever. 

Does ' that bread mean the same as ' my flesh ' and 
1 my blood,' in the fifty-fourth and fifty-sixth verses ? 
What does Jesus, in the fifty-fourth verse, say 'he that 
eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood ' has ? 

What does he, in the fifty-sixth verse, say that he has ? 
What does he, in this verse, say that he has ? 

To have eternal life and to have union with the Son of God, 
and living for ever, are the greatest things which Jesus promis- 
es ; and if we can have them only by eating my flesh and 
drinking my blood, it is of the greatest importance to know 
what c eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood ' means. 

Do you understand what eating my flesh and drink- 
ing my blood means ? 
Where was this address made ? 
Where was Capernaum ? 
Was Capernaum a Jewish city or not ? 
Was it the Jews or his own disciples who said, ' This is a 
hard saying ' ? 

What was it which many of his disciples said was a hard 
saying ? 

They did not understand that Jesus was to die for them, 
and so they couldn't understand that they were to have eternal 
life by his dying, which was what he meant by eating his 
flesh. They thought that he was going to be a King. Many 
of the people cared for him only because they thought that 
he was to be King ; and when they found out that he expected 
to die without being King,' they didn't care to be his disciples. 

What is meant by i Who can hear it ' ? 
What does Jesus mean by ' Doth this offend you ' ? 



116 THE FOURTH YEAK. 

1 Offend you' means 'make yott go astray from me/ II 
does not mean give you offence. 

Does ' What and if * mean any thing more than c What if h 
What did he mean by ' ascend up where he was be- 
fore'? 

Was what Jesus said about ascending up where he 
was before, a harder saying than that which they spoke 
of, in the sixtieth verse ? 

All through this address, Jesus had been speaking of com- 
ing doion from heaven, and now he speaks of ascending where 
he was before. 

What does ( that quickeneth ■ mean ? 

What does ' flesh profiteth nothing ' mean ? 

Jesus means that in the life of the body, it is the spirit or 
soul in us, and not the flesh, which gives us life ; and so the 
words which he spoke were not to be taken as speaking of a 
kingdom on earth, but of a spiritual kingdom for the soul, giv- 
ing life to the souls of men. His words, if obeyed, give spirit 
and life to the souls of men. 

What words did he mean — the words of this address 
or all the words which he spoke ? 

Does not the life of your~~soul depend on the words of 
Jesus ? 
What now is the meaning of the True Bread of Life ? 
But why does he say also that we must not only eat him as 
Bread, but as Flesh and Blood ? 

Probably Jesus meant that his address should not be fully 
understood, but should be in strong and earnest language, so 
as to sift out those of his followers who were not real disciples. 



THE FOUKTH YEAR. |17 



64. But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew 
from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should 
betray him. 

65. And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come 
unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. 

6Q: From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked 
no more with him. 

67. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, "Will ye also go away ? 

63. Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go ? 
thou hast the words of eternal life. 

6£. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son 
of the living God. 

70. Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one 
of you is a devil ? 

71. He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon : for he it was that 
should betray him, being one of the twelve. 

4 Some of you that believe not ' — believe not what ? that 
he was a Prophet from God ; the Messiah of the nation ; a 
divine Person who had come from heaven; or that he was to 
die for them ? 

Do you think these persons who did not now believe, 
had not had some "kind of a "belief in Jesus ? 
'From the beginning' of what ? 
Prove from the Scriptures who is meant by 'who 
should betray him. 1 
To what does ' Therefore/ in the sixty-fifth verse, refer ? 
Answer. But there are some of you that believe not ; and for 
this reason I said unto you, etc. 

When had he said, ' no man can come unto me,' etc. ? 

Some of them believed, no doubt, when they saw the mir- 
acles, that the Old Testament was fulfilled in him as the Mes- 
siah, but they did not take him to their hearts from love. And 
no man can take Jesus to the heart, unless his Father draw 
him. 



118 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

Can no one come to the Son of God now as the 
Saviour, unless the Father leads him to come ? 

Can God the Father make you come, unless you cqyit 
sent to come ? 
What is meant by ' went back ' ? 

Were there a few or many who went back ? 

Does this show that Jesus had many true disciples 
more than the twelve or not ? 

What is meant by ' walked no more with him ' ? 

How long was this before Jesus was put to death ? 
Ansicer. About a year probably ; and it was probably 
about six months before he left Galilee for the last time. 

The disciples who left Jesus at this time, had been expect- 
ing, no doubt, a temporal kingdom of the Messiah, but they 
began now to see that Jesus' kingdom was spiritual, and they 
had no heart for that. 

When Jesus said to the twelve, ' Will ye also go away ? ' 
do you think any of them might have thought of going back? 

This is a question which shows Jesus' human nature rather 
than his divine. When these many disciples were leaving 
him, and publicly ridiculing his doctrines as absurd and con- 
temptible, he looks at the small number left, and turns to his 
disciples in tender anxiety, to say, 'You too will not go 
away ? ' 

Who answered Jesus' question ? 

Was Peter apt to answer before the other disciples ? 
To whom had those who turned back gone ? 
When Peter said, Thou hast the words of eternal 
life, does it show that he believed what Jesus just said ? 
Ansicer, See verse sixty -three. 

The answer of Peter shows that he had a belief in the 
Saviour that was love to the Saviour, and not merely a belief 
in him from knowledge of miracles. 

What two things did Peter say that they were sure of ? 



THE FOURTH YEAS. 



119 



Did Peter ever say any thing like this at any other 
time ? See Matthew xvi : 13-16. 

Where were Jesus and the disciples when Peter said 
that ? 
State as many things as you can that made Peter think that 
Jesus was the Christ and the Son of God. 

What did Jesus say at that other time to Peter ? 
Do you suppose that what Peter now said helped any 
who might have heen tempted to go back ? 
Why did Jesus say that he had chosen the twelve ? 

Perhaps there was something in Peters manner of saying it, 
which showed that he was very confident that the disciples 
had done a praiseworthy thing in stajdng with Jesus. As if 
he had said, ' And we believe, although these others have gone 
away; and we are sure.' If it was in this confident way that 
Peter answered, then the answer of Jesus to Mm is just to the 
point: 'Have not I chosen you? why should you seem so con- 
fident ? and one of you, too, is a devil.' 

What did he mean by ' a devil ' ? 
Can you prove that the other disciples did not know then 
who it was that he meant ? 

Did Judas, in his heart, accept the words of Peter — 
1 To whom shall we go ? ' 
What kind of belief was his ? 
To whom did he go ? 

Certainly, when Jesus told his disciples that one of them 
should betray him, it would lead them to a more thorough self- 
examination. 



120 . THE FOURTH YEAR. 



% birl'D -Ibxrfr Sxmtrau. 



H 

THE DISCUSSION AND ADDRESS AFTER HEALING THE 
MAN BORN BLIND.. 

CHAPTER IX. 

1. And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his 
birth. 

2. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this 
man or his parents, that he was born blind? 

3. Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents : 
but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. 

4. I must Avork the works of him that sent me, while it is day : the 
night 'vmeth, when no man can work. 

5. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. 

6. When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made 
clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the 
clay, 

7. And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by 
interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and 
came seeing. 

8. The neighbors therefore, and they which before had seen him 
that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged ? 

9. Some said, This is he : others said, He is like him : but he said, 
I am he. 

The miracle of healing the blind man was done at Jerusalem, 
about six months after the last address in the synagogue at 
Capernaum. It was after Jesus had made his third jour- 
ney from Galilee to Jerusalem to the Feast of Tabernacles, 
when Jesus stood in the temple and said, ' If any man thirst, 
let him come unto me and drink.' At the Feast of Taberna- 
cles there were thousands of people, from all parts of the land, 
in the city, dwelling, while thc}^ staid, in tents and booths . 
made of tree-branches— olive, palm, pine, and myrtle — built 
in the streets and on the housetops. 

This miracle was probably done while all the people were 
still in the city. This feast or celebration — the Jewish thanks- 
giving — was in October, and lasted over two Sabbaths, and 
this miracle was done on one of the Sabbaths. The miracle was 



THE FOURTH YEAH. - 1 2 1 

just before Lazarus was raised from the dead, and just before 
Jesus took the journey from Bethany across the Jordan and 
back to Bethany again.. 

When and where did this miracle and this discussion 
take place ? 

What miracle happened shortly afterward ? 

What journey did Jesus take shortly after ? 

Which one of the addresses which we have had did 
he make on that journey ? 
4 As Jesus passed by ' — passed by what ? 

He was coming from the temple, where the Jews had tried 
to stone him because he had said, ' Before Abraham was, I am.' 
He hid himself, and then going through the crowds of people, 
went out of the temple. While they tried to kill him, he 
stopped to do good to a blind man. 

Is it likely then that this man was near the temple ? 
How long had he been blind ? 

Is it more difficult to cure one who has always been 
blind, or one who has been but a short time blind ? 
What made the disciples think that the blind man or his 
parents had done some great sin ? 

The Jews believed that if a man had a very bad disease, it 
was sent to him by God as a punishment for a very bad sin. 

Which did Jesus say was guilty — the man or his parents ? 

Did he mean that the parents had never committed 
any sin ? 

What did he mean by the works of God be made 
manifest ? 

Are the works of God always pleasing ? 

God may show his wisdom and power and skill in creating 
things not pleasing ; in making the lightning and thunder-bolt 
as well as the sun and moon ; in making the tornado as well 
as the breeze, the weed as well as the flower, reptiles as well 
as birds. 



J-^ - THE FOURTH YEAR. 

In the fourth verse, who besides God, does Jesus say must 
do the works of God ? 

What is meant by c work the works ' ? 
Do you think that Jesus meant by 'while it is day/ 
the common day or the day of life ? 

What did he mean then by ' the night cometh ' ? 
Is there any connection in the meaning between the fourth 
and the fifth verses ? 

The. meaning is, As long as I am in the world, I am the 
light of the world ; and if I am the light of the world, I must 
do the works which show that I am the light of the world. 

Does ' As long as I am in the world ' seem to show 
that he meant the day of life or a common day ? 

What does Jesus mean by l I am the light of the 
world ' ? 
What work did he now do, to prove what he had just said ? 

Could he really ' anoint ' with clay ? 

To anoint is really to put oil or ointment on something ; 
but he spread the thin, wet clay on the eyes, 5 just as you 
would put on oil or ointment or eye-salve. 

What did Jesus send the man to the pool of Siloam to do ? 
Where was the pool of Siloam ? Ansioer. It was 
south of the temple, just outside the city gates ? 

Were Jesus and the blind man near the temple or 
not? 

What is the meaning of Siloam ? 
Why was it called so ? 

We suppose, because it sent forth its waters to water the 
gardens below it. 

Was Jesus in that same place when the man came 
back ? See eleventh and twelfth verses. 
Was it the clay which made him see ? 
Was it the washing ? or the pool ? 
Why did Jesus send him there then ? 
What miracle, in the Old Testament, was done by 






THE FOUETH YEAR. 123 

sending a diseased man to wash ? Bead 2 Kings v : 
10-14 
What now led the neighbors to notice him ? 

"Does their question show that they had seen him 
often before or not ? 
What three answers were given to their question ? 
Which two answers agreed ? 
Did the other answer say that it was not he ? 



10. Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened ? 

11. He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, 
and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloara, 
and wash : and I went and washed, and I received sight. 

12. Then said they unto him, "Where is he ? He said, I know not. 

13. They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind. 

14. And it' was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and 
opened his eyes. 

15. Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received 
his sight. He" said unto them, he put clay upon mine eyes, and I 
washed, and do see, 

16. Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, 
because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a 
man that is a sinner do such miracles ? And there was a division 
among them. 

IT. They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, 
that he hath opened thine eyes ? He said, He is a prophet. 

Does ' Therefore said they ' mean, because lie said, ' I am 
he,' therefore said they ; or because of what they said about 
him? 

Which is the emphatic word in their second question ? 
Answer. 'How.' 

Did he tell them how they had been opened ? 
Did he believe that Jesus was only c a man ! ? 
Did he mean that Jesus had made clay ? 



124 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

Do you think that he had come back from the pool to 
the place where the clay was put on ? 
Did he know where Jesus was ? 

Do you think that he would have knt>wn Jesus if he 
had seen him ? 

Why did they take him to the Pharisees ? 

This was a wonderful miracle, if the man said the truth, or 
if he was the man whom his neighbors were in the habit of 
seeing in the streets. The neighbors therefore bring the man 
to the Pharisees to have the matter examined. When they 
asked where Jesus was, they perhaps wished to ask Jesus 
about the truth of what the man said. 

What day of the week was it when Jesus did the 
miracle ? 

So strict were some of the Rabbis in keeping the Sabbath, 
that they forbade any one even to put ointment on the eyes on 
that day. 

What did the Pharisees ask the man ? 

They asked him to tell over again the exact way in which 
he had been cured, so that they might hear it from his own 
lips. 

What two things did the two parts of the Pharisees say ? 

If the miracle had not been done on the Sabbath day, 
would they have believed that he was from God ? 

On that very same day, what had the Jews tried to 
do to him in the temple ? Read the last two verses of 
the eighth chapter, with the first verse of the ninth. 

Why could not a man that is a sinner do such mir- 
acles ? 

Which part of the Pharisees were in favor of Jesus — 
those who were in favor of the Sabbath or those who 
were not ? 

It is very likely that honest Pharisees like Nicodemus, who 
came to Jesus by night, and Joseph of Arimathea, who buried 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 125 

Jesus, and Gamaliel, who defended the apostles afterward, 
were the Pharisees on the side of Jesus. Nicodemus, and 
Joseph, and Gamaliel may have been the very persons. 

Was there any other way in which a man born blind 
could have been healed ? 

If any body knew whether it was Jesus or some other 
person, would this man know ? 

Did those who took the side of Jesus speak of this 
one miracle or of other miracles too ? 

One party said that Jesus was 'a sinner;' the other party 
said that he was 'of God' — that is, a prophet sent 'of God.' 
Those who said that he was 'a sinner,' said that his miracles 
amounted to nothing to prove that he was God, because he 
broke the Sabbath day. Those who said that he was ; of God,' 
said that, it was impossible for a man who did so many and 
such wonderful miracles — all the miracles showing kindness 
and love to men— not to be of God. 

Those who took the side against Jesus, said that their ob- 
jection was of more importance than all the miracles ; and they 
tried, no doubt, to account for his miracles, by saying that he 
was a magician. Those who took the side in favor of Jesus, 
said that such great proofs in his favor more than balanced 
the single objection, and that the miracles could not be the 
tricks of a magician. 

How would you answer a person who should say that 
Jesus did break the Sabbath day ? 
After they were divided among themselves, what was it 
which the Pharisees asked the blind man ? 

It was as if the}^had said, 'You have heard what others say. 
What do you say of him, now that he hath opened thine eyes' ? 

Bid he answer their question ? 
Why did he think him a prophet ? 

There were, no doubt, more Pharisees in the party opposed 
to Jesus than in the other party ; and this larger party try 



126 



THE POUIITH YEAR. 



to get the man to say something about Jesus which will prove 
Jesus faulty or guilty. After such a miracle, so good and lov- 
ing, could any thing be more mean or contemptible ! 



SDftirf g- JfifHj Snixb m> 



18. But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been 
blind, and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that 
had received his sight. 

19. And 'they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was 
born blind ? how then doth he now see ? 

20. His parents answered them, and said, We know that this is our 
son, and that he was born blind : 

21. But by what means he now seeth we know not ; or who hath 
opened his eyes, we know not : he is of age ; ask him; he shall speak 
for himself. 

22. These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews : 
for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he 
was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue. 

23. Therefore said his parents, He is of age ; ask him. 

24. Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto 
him, Give God the praise : we know that this man is a sinner. 

25. He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know 
not : one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see. 

Some of the neighbors had said that this was the man born 
blind ; that man himself said so. But still the Pharisees 
would not believe, and they called his parents. 

How did the Jews try now to find out whether this was the 
very man that was born blind ? 

Suppose some person should tell you that there 
never was such a miracle as this, how did the Jews 
help to prove that the man really was cured ? 

What two questions did they ask the parents ? 
There are really three questions : Is this your son ? Do 
you say that he was born blind ? How did he get his sight ? 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 127 

What did the parents say about his being their son ? 
Did the}" have any doubts about it ? 
"What did they say about his being born blind ? 
Did they have any doubts about that ? 
Suppose some one now to say that the man wasn't 
really born blind, but only pretended to be blind, how 
would you answer ? 

And what did the neighbors say about it ? See 
verses eight and nine. 
What did the parents say in answer to the other questions 
of the Jews ? 

Do you think they had seen their son since he had 
been cured ? 

Do you think, then, that they answered truly or 
falsely ? 

Could they say truly that they knew by their own 
sight how he had been cured ? 
What is meant by ' he is of age ' ? 

The Pharisees thought perhaps that by bringing the par- 
ents before them, and asking them these questions, thus show- 
ing that they wished to find some deceit, the parents would 
fear them, and would say that some deceit had been prac- 
tised. But the parents were too honest to say any thing but 
the truth. 

When a man becomes of age, must he then be held 
responsible for all his acts ? 
What does the twenty-second verse say is the reason why 
they told the Jews that their son could speak for himself? 

Why should they fear to be put out of the syna- 
gogue ? 

It would be a disgrace to be put out, as it is now to be cast 
out of church. There were three degrees of putting out of 
the synagogue. The^rs^ degree was for thirty days. The per- 
son who was put out was not allowed to shave his head, or to 
bathe, or to come nearer than seven feet to another person, ex- 
cept in public assemblies. If he was obstinate in what he 



128 THE FOURTH YEAH. 

had done, after thirty days the second degree was added. He 
was then put under a curse ; he was not permitted to come to 
any public assembly ; and could not buy or sell, eat or drink 
with other persons. The third degree was in separating the 
person from all the privileges given by law or by religion to 
the Jewish people. 

But when the parents said, ' He is of age ; ask him :' 
wouldn't that be likely to put their son out, if he should tell 
the truth ? 

Was it selfish or not for them to keep themselves in 
a synagogue, and to let their son be cast out ? 

Was it more or less selfish, now that their son had 
been cured ? 

The parents certainly might have said : We have heard that 
Jesus cured him ; but they feared the Pharisees would think 
that that was acknowledging that Jesus was Christ. 

Why did the Jews call the son again f 

i Give God the praise ' : for what ? 
Who is meant by 4 this man ' ? 

What law of God did they say that Jesus had broken 
when they called him a sinner f 

Notice that now they try to make the man quail before their 
authority. We rulers have decided that this man is a sinner. 
Do you give God the praise, and not this sinner ? 

Notice too, that when the Jews said, give God the praise for 
your sight, they admitted that the miracle had "been done. 

Infidels have said that no miracles could be proved in a legal 
court ; but here was the court of the Pharisees, before whom 
this man was questioned and cross-questioned, and before 
whom his parents were questioned, and after all their divisions 
and discussions, these rulers w r ere obliged to admit that the 
man born blind had oeen healed. 

.Did the blind man say that Jesus was not a sinner ? 
What did he say again about being cured ? 



THE FOURTH YEAS. 129 

Can there be any doubt that a person who is blind 
will know when he is healed ? 

Can you add his testimonj^ or not to that of his par- 
ents and neighbors ? 

But if he was really healed, what was likely to be 
true about the one who healed him being a sinner ? 



C§xrti|^uilj jSmtbag. 



2^ Then said they to him again, "What did he to thee ? how opened 
he thine eyes ? 

27. He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear : 
wherefore would ye hear it again ? will ye also be his disciples ? 

23. Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple ; but we 
are Moses' disciples. 

29. "We know that God spake unto Moses : as for this fellow, we 
know not from whence he is. 

30. The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvel- 
lous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath 
opened mine eyes. 

31. Now we know that God heareth not sinners : but if any man be 
a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. 

32. Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened 
the eyes of one that was born blind. 

S3. If this man were not of God, he could do nothing. 
34, They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born 
in sins, and dost thou teach us ? And they cast him out. 

Why did the Jews ask the man the same thing over again f 

They thought, no doubt, that by getting him to gO over the 
story again, in all its particulars, they could find something 
more on which to make an accusation of wrong against Jesus, 
or some contradiction in what the man said, which would prove 
that the man's word wasn't true. But the man was so honest 
and blunt in his answers, that they got nothing but the exact 
truth. He seems to be different from his parents. 

Does the question, c What did he to thee ? ' mean any 
thing different from the question in the fifteenth verse? 



130 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

It is more particular. What thing exactly did he to thee ? 
Tell us exactly how it was. 
How did the man answer ? 

Do you think that he understood what they wanted? 
Do you think that he was indignant 2 
What does ' wherefore ' mean ? 

Do you think that he thought they wished to become 
Jesus' disciples ? 
The man was justly roused with indignation. It was as if 
he said : ' What do you ask me your question again for ? Do 
you think I will lie ? I have told you the truth once. Shall 
I tell you again that it was Jesus, so that you, who hate him 
so much, may become his disciples V A biting and a just 
sarcasm ! 

What is meant by ' reviled him ' ? 

Had the man } r et said that he icas Jesus* l disciple '? 
Did he deny it afterwards ? 
Why did they claim to be Moses' disciples ? 
If they had really been Moses' disciples, why would 
they have been the disciples of Jesus ? 

So keen was the cutting answer of this man, and so much 
lower than themselves did they think he was, that they lost 
their temper, and began to abuse him. They pretended that 
he really thought they were about to become the disciples of- 
Jesus. 

How did they know that God spake unto Moses ? 

But hadn't God spoken in precisely the same way to 
Jesus ? 

What did they mean by ' we know not from whence 
he is ' ? 

They meant that they knew that Moses acted under divine 
authority, but Jesus had no divine authority. 

What proofs had Jesus given in Jerusalem that he 
had divine authority ? 
What did the man say to their argument ? 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 131 

What is meant by i herein ' ? 

What does ' marvellous thing ' mean ? 

How did the opening of the eyes by Jesus show 
Whence he was ? 
Did the blind man mean that God doesn't hear sinners 
pray ? 

He meant that God did not hear wicked men, if they asked 
power to work miracles in his name. 

To whom will God give such power, if he gives it at 
all? 

Can a man be a worshipper of God and not do his 
will ? 
Can you find in the Scriptures the account of any other 
man lorn blind, who was cured ? 

Could any one but God do Such a thing ? 

When Jesus opened his eyes, what was it then a 
proof of ? 

Who is meant by ' this man ' ? 

Was this a fair conclusion from the blind man's argu* 
ment ? 

See how this honest, straightforward man puts the argument 
together in these four verses : ' Is it possible that you learned 
men do not know whence Jesus is ? What ! You know that 
no man can do a miracle who doesn't do God's will. Jesus 
has done such a miracle that you cannot find one like it since 
the world began. If he was not doing God's will, he could 
not do it. Every body can see that the man who has done such 
a thing is of God. And you, learned men, do not know whence 
he is.' 

Did the Pharisees make any reply to his argument ? 
What did they say to reproach him ? 
If he was born in sin, was that any reason why they 
should not be willing to learn the truth from him Y 
What did they do ? 

So bitter and stinging was this honest reply, that they fell 



132 THE FOURTH TEAR. 

to upbraiding him with bis misfortunes. But see bow they 
contradicted themselves. They pretended before, that he was 
not born blind, (see the eighteenth verse ;) now, to sting him 
with reproach, they are quick to say that he teas. 



35. Jesus heard that they had cast him out ; and when he had 
found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God ? 

36. He answered and said, Who is he. Lord, that I might believe on 
him? 

37. And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he 
that talketh with thee. 

38. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him. 

39. And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that 
they which see not might see ; and that they which see might be made 
blind. 

40. And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these 
words, and said unto him, Are we blind also ? 

41. Jesus said unto them, if ye were blind, ye should have no sin : 
but now ye say, We see ; therefore your sin remaineth. 

chapter x. 

1. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door 
into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a 
thief and a robber. 

2. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 

3. To him the porter openeth ; and the sheep hear his voice : and 
he called his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. 

What did Jesus do when he heard what the Pharisees had 
done ? 

What did he ask the man ? 

What had the man said that he believed Jesus to be ? 
See verse seventeen. 

Notice that, now that this man has boldly confessed Jesus 
before the Pharisees, Jesus comes to him to be his friend, and 
to do him a greater good. 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 133 

Did he understand whom Jesus meant by the Son of God ? 

How do you suppose that, never having seen Jesus 
before, he now knew him ? 

What did he wish to do, so soon as he should know 
who the Son of God is ? 
How did Jesus make himself known to him ? 

When any person is truly willing to ask, c Who is 
the Saviour, that / may delieve on him ? ' isn't Jesus 
already talking with him ? 
What did the man say then ? 

What did he do r showing that he was sincere in be- 
lieving ? 

Would it have been right for him to have worshipped 
Jesus if he was only a man ? 

Did Jesus forbid him to worship him ? 

If Jesus had been a good man, and not God, would 
he not have forbidden him ? 

Notiee how the blind man came, step by step, to believe on 
the Saviour. First, he believed that he was a wonderful phy- 
sician, for he went to the pool, as Jesus told him ; then he 
believed that he was a prophet, and sent of God ; then he was 
ready to believe what Jesus should tell him ; then he believed 
that he was the Son of God ; and then he worshipped him, 
which showed at once a belief of his whole heart, and not of 
his intellect merely. 

If 3^ou really believe in your heart that Jesus is the 
Son of God, will you not t worship him ' ? 
What did Jesus mean by c For judgment, I am come ' etc. ? 
Answer. I am come into this world to be the means of bring- 
ing out the true character of men. 

The man whose sight was healed had been ignorant as well 
as blind, and he had gained knowledge as well as sight ; and 
he had gained knowledge of the Saviour, He had been led 
to see, and to know, and to believe at once ; that is, he had 
had sight given to his body, his mind, and his soul at once. 



134 THE FOXJllTII YEAR. 

Who are meant by 'they which see not'? Answer. They 
who are willing to confess that they are blind or ignorant. 

Who are meant by ' they that see ' ? Answer. Those who 
pretend to see or to know, and are too proud to confess that 
they do not see and know. 

How would they be made blind ? 

Those who were willing to acknowledge that they could not 
see, whether in body or soul, Jesus cured ; those who pre- 
tended that they were so wise in religious things, that they 
needed no teacher to help them see, were really blind in their 
souls, and they would not be cured. TV"e cannot be cured of 
sin until we are willing to acknowledge our sin. 

Who were now with the man, and asked a question ? 

What was their question ? 

Can you tell in your own words what they meant ? 
Repeat the first part of Jesus' answer ? 

Why would they have no sin ? Answer. Because by 
acknowledging that they were blind or sinful, they 
would be in condition to be cured. 

Repeat the last part of Jesus' answer. 

Why did their sin remain because they said, 'We 
see'? 

Did they say, ' We see ' ? 

How may you say a thing in conduct as well as in 
words ? 

The tenth chapter is a part of the discussion and address in 
the ninth chapter. If you will look at the twenty-first verse, 
you will see that the thoughts of the people around Jesus, are 
still ajbout the blind man. The Pharisees who cast the blind 
man out of the synagogue, were the teachers of the nation ; 
and therefore Jesus now speaks of true and false teachers, who 
are like true and false shepherds. 

A shepherd in Judea feeds his sheep on the mountains and 
in the valleys during the day, and at night he leads them into 
a small yard, surrounded b}^ a low stone wall. This yard is 
the sheep-fold. As there is no roof T sometimes robbers climb 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 135 

over and steal the sheep. Sometimes a servant, called a por- 
ter, with weapons, keeps watch at the door. In the morning, 
the shepherd comes and calls the sheep. The different sheep 
have different names, and they know their names and answer 
to them. 

What shows that the tenth chapter is a part of the discus- 
sion and address after the blind man was cured ? 

Show how it goes on to speak about the Pharisees. 
Describe an Eastern sheepfold. 

How could any one get in besides through the door ? 
But what would any one be going in that wa.yfor f 
What is the difference between a thief and a robber ? 
How can you tell the shepherd by his manner of entering 

the fold ? 
Who is the porter ? 

Is it meant by the sheep c hearing his voice ' that 
they know the words which he Speaks, or the tones of 
his voice ? 

Whistling, hallooing, chirruping, with sounds and words such 
as are used in speaking to such animals, are meant. 

Do shepherds in this country call their sheep by 
name ? 

Do shepherds lead or drive their sheep in this coun- 
try ? 

As we have fences to our fields in this country, and have no 
wild beasts who would attack the sheep, we do not have shep- 
herds to stay with the sheep all the day, and a porter at the 
fold all night. 

Here are two marks by which you may know a true shep- 
herd: First, he goes in at the door ; secondly, the sheep know 
him, 



136 THE FOURTH YEAR. 



® {jhiir-dgjji fj Simbaj) . 

4. And when lie putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before then), 
and tlie sheep follow him : for they know his voice. 

5. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him : for 
they know not the voice of strangers. 

6. This parable spake Jesus unto them : but they understood not 
what things they were which he spake unto them. 

7. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, 
I am the door of the sheep. 

8. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers : but the 
sheep did not hear them. 

9. I am the door : by .me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, 
and shall go in and out, and find pasture. 

10. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy : 
I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it 
more abundantly. 

11. I am the good shepherd : the good shepherd giveth. his life for 
the sheep. 

12. But he that is a hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the 
sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and 
fleeth : and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. 

A missionary in that same land, says that yerses four and 
five are a true description. " The sheep are so tame and so 
trained that they follow their keeper with the utmost docility. 
He leads them forth from the fold or from their houses in the 
villages, just where he pleases. It is necessary that they 
should be taught to follow, and not to stray away into the 
unfenced fields of corn which lie so temptingly on either 
side. The shepherd calls sharply from time to time, to 
remind them of his presence. They know his voice and fol- 
low on ; but if a stranger call, they stop -short, lift up their 
heads in alarm, and, if it is repeated, they turn and flee. I 
have made the experiment often. The shepherd goes before, 
not only to point out the way, but to show that it is good and 
safe." * 

Why does the shepherd go before ? 

Why wouldn't he be a good shepherd, in that coun- 
try, who would drive his sheep on before him ? 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 337 

Why is it that they follow him ? 

Going before the sheep then is the third mark of a true 
shepherd, and their following him is the fourth. 

Why will they flee from a stranger ? 

Sheep are timid animals. They need to grow acquainted 
before they will trust any one ; but when they are acquainted, 
they are most tender in their love and trust. They not only 
will not follow a stranger, but will turn and flee. 

What is a parable ? 

Did they understand his parable ? 

Didn't they understand what he said about sheep ? 

Jesus repeats the ' Yerily, verily, I say unto you,' at the be- 
ginning of his explanation, as he said it at the beginning of 
the parable, to give solemnity and power to what he says ; and 
they knew that he was speaking of some very serious thing. 

Did Jesus mean, when he said, I am the door of the slieep, 
that he was the door of the sheep -fold f 

Whom does he mean by the sheep ? 

As the door of the sheepfoldwas the protection of the flock, 
so Jesus is the Protector of his people; as the door was the 
true way to go in and speak to them, so he is the true Teacher 
of his people ; as the door is the true way by which he leads 
them to pasture, so he is the true Leader of his people ; as the 
door lets in or keeps out others, so Jesus sa} 7 s who shall teach 
or not teach his people. 

Did Jesus mean by ''All that ever came before me,' all 
teachers of the people, like Moses and David and Elijah and 
the prophets ? 

All that ever came, pretending that they were the door, and 
had a right to say who should teach and who should not, are 
theives and robbers. 

Who only has the right to say who shall teach men ? 
Has any man the right to say that other men shall 
not teach the people? 



138 THE FOURTH YEAH. 

If any man says that Tie only has the right, whose 
right does he take from Him ? 

How then is he a thief or a robber ? 

Has any man a right to teach the people in religious 
things' without getting his right from God ? 

Where do true ministers get their right to preach ? 

What does Jesus mean by l the sheep did not hear 
them ' ? 

Do not the sheep hear the sound of the voice of the 
thieves and robbers ? 
What does*' I am the door' mean ? 

For whose benefit is the door ? 

What does any man gain by entering the door ? 

Be saved from what ? 

What is meant by ' go in and out, and find pasture' ? 

As the sheep go in and out through the door, and their hun- 
ger is satisfied by pasture, so if we come to Jesus for admis- 
sion among his people and his followers, the hunger of our 
souls will be satisfied. 

What does the thief come for ? 

How does any one who pretends that he only holds 
the right to teach God's people, steal and kill and de- 
stroy ? 

Do you know of any one man, now in the world, who 
pretends that he only has the right to say who shall 
teach God's Word and who shall not ? 

Does any teacher of the Scriptures, who teaches with- 
out Jesus, steal His place ? 

What had Jesus come to be the door of the sheep for ? 

What is meant by ' have it more abundantly ' ? An- 
swer. Might have more and more life. 

How does Jesus save the life of his sheep ? 
Does ' I am the Good Shepherd ' mean any thing different 
from ' I am the Door ' ? 

When the shepherd is at the door of the fold, or comes to 
the door, he is like the door itself; for, standing in the door, 



THE FOURTH YEAR. . I39 

he says who shall come in or out to be one of his sheep ; and 
he says who shall come in and oat to speak to and to feed his 
sheep. But when the sheep are in the pasture, he is then 
simply the shepherd. So Jesus is the Door which admits 
sheep into his fold, and admits his under-shepherds to teach 
and to feed ; and so Jesus is the Good Shepherd, who goes 
with his people everywhere, to protect and to feed their souls. 

How does the good shepherd give his life for the 
sheep ? Answer. By facing danger when wolves come. 

The stone wall of the fold, a missionary says, is sometimes 
" crowned all around with sharp thorns, which the prowling 
wolf wih rarely attempt to scale. But the leopard and pan- 
ther of this country, when pressed with hunger, will overleap 
this thorny hedge, and, with one tremendous bound, land 
among the frightened fold. Then is the time to try the cour- 
age and the heart of the faithful shepherd. I have listened 
with intense interest to the descriptions of downright and 
desperate fights with these savage beasts. And when the 
thief and robber come, the faithful shepherd has often to risk 
his life to defend his flock. A poor faithful fellow last spring, 
between Tiberias and Mount Tabor, instead of fleeing, like a 
hireling, actually fought three Arab robbers until he was 
hacked to pieces with their weapons, and died among the 
sheep he was defending." 

What is a hireling ? Answer. A man hired to take care of 
sheep, but who cares more for his wages than he does for the 
sheep. 

Does he own the sheep ? 

Why does he leave them when he sees the wolf? 

What then becomes of the sheep ? 

What teachers did Jesus mean by the ' hireling ' ? 

What does he mean by l the wolf ? 



140 THE FOURTH YEAR. 



Cljxriij-mnffj j$ unban. 

HEtlEW OF THE THIRD Q0ABTEU. 

What fovo addresses liave we had the past quarter ? 

Where was the first of these addresses made ? the 
second ? 

In what part of our Saviour's life was the first made ? 
the second ? 

Tell me some things before and some things after the 
first address ; before and after the second. 
I. Thf Addkess in the Synagogue of Capernaum.* 

What two other addresses had Jesus made in Galilee 
before this, during the year or more that he lived there? 

What is the subject of this address ? 

What had taken place the day "before f 

How do you know that this address was in the syna- 
gogue at Capernaum ? 

Explain the reason why the people asked the ques- 
tion, ' Rabbi, when earnest thou hither?' 

What did Jesus answer them ? 

What did he mean by 'meat that perisheth* and 
' meat which endureth unto everlasting life ' ? 

What did Jesus tell them was the great work of God 
for them to do ? 

What did he mean by ' work of God ' ? 

What did they mean by asking for a sign ? 

Why did they speak of the manna in the desert ? 

How did Jesus show that the bread of God was a 
greater sign than the manna ? 

What did they understand by '.the bread of God' ? 

How did Jesus explain it ? 

What did Jesus say that he had come down from 
heaven to do ? 

What is it the Father's will that shall not happen ? 

What is it the Father's will that shall be ? 



THE FOURTH YEAB. 



141 



How did the Jews try to prove that he did not come 
dovrn from heaven ? 

Why did Jesus tell them that they were not able to 
come to him i unless the Father draw them ' ? 

What is the explanation which Jesus gave, of ' the 
Father draw him ' ? 

What then did Jesus plainly explain the Bread of 
life to be ? 

What did he mean by eateth this bread ? 

What did he mean by 4 eat my flesh and drink my 
blood ' ? 

Will no one be raised up at the last day, but he that 
eateth and drinketh in this way ? 

Did the Jews in the synagogue comprehend this ? 

Did Jesus explain it, or only repeat it ? 

Can we understand how it is that eating this bread 
makes us live for ever ? 
What was the effect of this address on Jesus' disciples ? 

What was the effect on the twelve ? 

What two things did Peter say they were sure of ? 

Did the twelve come to Jesus of their own accord ? 

Did every one of them heartily say, ' To whom shall 
we go' ? 

To whom did Judas go ? How long after ? 
II. The Discussion after Healing the Man born Blind. 

At what festival was this miracle done ? 

Was it before or after Lazarus was raised ? 

What was the disciples' question about the man born 
blind ? 

How did Jesus answer ? 

How are God's works manifest in things not pleasing 
as well as pleasing ? 

Describe the miracle of healing the blind man. 

Was it the clay which made him see ? the washing ? 
the pool ? What was it ? 
What did his neighbors and acquaintances say when he 
came seeing ? 



142 THE FOUKTII TEAR. 

What did the man say ? 

Was he sure enough of the cure to describe it? 

Why did his neighbors and friends bring him to the 
Pharisees f 

Was the man sure enough of the cure to describe it 
before the Pharisees ? 

What day was it when he was healed ? 

Into what two parties were the Pharisees divided ? 

Show the difference between these parties. 

Whom did the man say, before the Pharisees, that 
Jesus was ? 

Whom else did they call to bear witness ? Why ? 

What three questions did the Pharisees ask them ? 

How did they answer two of them ? 

Why did they refer the third to their son ? 

How did the Pharisees then admit that it was a gen- 
uine miracle ? 

How^did the man's answer again show that it was a 
true miracle ? 

If an infidel should say that no miracle can be proved 
before a court of justice, how could you answer him 
from this chapter ? 

How do the neighbors prove it? the man himself? 
how many times ? the parents ? the Pharisees them- 
selves ? 

After admitting that it was a miracle, why did they 
ask the man airain to describe it ? 

How did he answer them ? 

Did he expect that they were going to be the disciples 
of Jesus? 

In what spirit did they receive this answer ? 

What argument did the man use against them H 

Did they answer his argument ? 

How did they again admit the miracle ? 
What did Jesus say when he found him ? 

Point out the steps in this man's faith. 

What act showed that he believed on him ? 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 143 

Explain ' that they that see not might see, and that 
they which see might be made blind. ' 

What did he tell the Pharisees ? 

Explain the meaning. 

Show why the tenth chapter is part of this same 
address. 

Describe an Eastern sheepfold. 

Describe the four marks of a true shepherd. 

To whom did Jesus refer in the shepherd of the 
sheep ? 

In what things is Jesus the door ? 

How are others than he, thieves and robbers ? 

For whose benefit is the door ? 

What do they get by entering ? 

How does any man steal Christ's position ? 

How does he therefore kill and destroy ? 

How is Jesus the Good Shepherd as well as the Door? 

How was Jesus different from the ' hireling ' teachers ? 



Jmtiellj Suttimg, 



13. The hireling fleeth, because he is a hireling, and careth not for 
the sheep. 

14. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of 
mine. 

15. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father : and I 
lay down my life for the sheep. 

16. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold : them also I 
must bring, and they shall hear my voice ; and there shall be one 
fold, and one shepherd. 

17. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, 
that I might take it again. 

18. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have 
power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This com- 
mandment have I received of my Father. 

19. There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these 
sayings. 



144 THE FOUKTII YEAR. 

20. And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad ; why hear 
ye him ? 

21. Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. 
Can a devil open the eyes of the blind ? 

When does the hireling flee ? 

What is the reason given why he flees? 
What does he care for ? 
In how many ways can you think of Jesus as the Good 
Shepherd to his followers ? 

Does the last part of this verse mean that the Sav- 
iour knows such followers by name ? 
How is he l known of them ' ? 

There should be no period at the end of the fourteenth 
verse, but the two verses should read : ; And know my sheep 
and am known of mine, as the Father knoweth me and I know 
the Father/ 

Can any two persons know each other more completely than 
the divine Father and the divine Son ? 

Does Jesus mean that his followers and he know 
each other as completely as God the Father and God 
the Son know each other ? 

How does Jesus lay dozen his life for his followers ? 
Does he lay it down for any besides his followers ? 
What does Jesus mean by 4 this fold ' ? Answer. 4 This fold 
of Jewish followers.' 

Who are the ' other sheep ' ? 

Does he say that there are c other folds ' or ' other 
sheep ' ? 

Other sheep scattered through the world, who have not yet 
heard his voice. 



How will he bring them ? 
How will Jesus make them hear his voice ? 
Has the laying down of Jesus' life any thing to do 
with bringing the Jews and Gentiles into one fold ? 
Do all Christ's followers belong to one Church ? 



THE FOURTH TEAK. 145 

May there be more than one fold ? 
Can there be more than one Shepherd ? 

If you will read the seventeenth verse, by changing places 
between its two parts, perhaps } r ou will see its meaning bet- 
ter, and its connection with verse fifteen : ' Because I lay down 
my life, that I might take it again,' ' therefore my Father lov- 
eth me.' 

Does this verse mean that God the Father would not have 
loved the Son, if he had not laid down his life? 

Could Jesus die so that he could never live again ? 

By laying down his life on the cross, and taking it again at 
the resurrection, Jesus was exalted to new glories before the 
universe. Read Hebrews xii : 2. 

Could the Jews have taken Jesus' life from him, if he had 
not chosen to let them ? 

Does it make his love for us greater or less that no 
man could take his life from him ? 

What other power had he besides the power to lay 
down his life ? 

Has any other person power to take life again after 
laying it down ? 

What is meant by ' this commandment ' ? Answer. 
This duty to lay down my life. 

Was the commandment such a commandment that 
he must do it, whether he wished to do it or not ? 

The reason is here given why the divine Father loves his 
Son. It is because he is willing to endure suffering on ac- 
count of his great love to men. God is love. Jesus is love ; 
and his highest love is shown in giving up his life for sinful 
men. This great suffering and great sacrifice makes God's 
love to his Son greater. 

What was the division among the Jews about ? 

Do you think they understood whom he meant by 
his Father ? 

Do you think it was what he said about the Good 



146 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

Shepherd, or what he said about his Father, which 
made the division ? 

Was this division among his disciples or among the 
people ? 
"What did some o'f them say ? 

Why did they say that he had a devil ? 

Were there few or many who did this ? 
What did the other part of the people say ? 

Why did they say that he did not have a devil ? 

Could not God give a devil power to open a blind 
man's eyes ? 

Would he give him power to do it to help him de- 
ceive the people ? 

Was there any real difference in what the people 
said, and what the blind man said from the thirtieth to 
the thirty-third verse of the last chapter ? 



Jwtg-fet Snnbag. 



22. And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was 
winter. 

23. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. 

24. Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How 
long dost thou make us to doubt ? If thou be the Christ, tell us 
plainly. 

25. Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not : the 
works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. 

26. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said 
unto you. 

27. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me : 

28. And I give unto them eternal life ; and they shall never perish, 
neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 

29. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all ; and no 
man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. 

SO. I and my Father are one. 

31. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. 
82. Jesus answered them, Many good works have I showed you 
crom my Father ; for which of those works do ye stone me ? 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 14* 

The rest of this chapter is the account of what Jesus said 
at a festival, two or three months after the healing of the man 
born blind. But in this address Jesus speaks of the same 
thing as in that, and, no doubt, he speaks to some of the same 
persons to whom he spoke before ; and both he and they had 
in mind what he said about the Good Shepherd and the 
sheep. 

Where was Jesus when he spoke the rest of this chapter ? 
What was the feast of dedication ? 

A hundred and seventy years before, the King of Syria — 
King Antiochus — conquered the Jews so completely that he 
put up an idol on the altar of the temple, and offered sacrifice 
to it. After three }^ears, ihe Jews gained back their temple, 
and purified it from its profane and heathen worship. This 
was called the dedication ; and every year, in December, they 
celebrate the Anniversary of the Dedication. This celebra- 
tion was called the Feast of the Dedication. 

On which side of the temple was Solomon's porch ? 
What time of year was it ? 
Why was Jesus walking there ? 

Probably it was not so cold there, as Solomon's porch was 
covered. Some of the courts of the temple were open ; and 
the winter was the rainy season. 

Why was it called Solomorfs porch? 

It was probably a part .of the very temple which Solomon 
built, the most of which had been burned and torn down. 

Who else taught in Solomon's porch afterwards ? 
See Acts v : 12. 
What did the Jews who gathered round him wish ? 

What is the meaning of ' make us to doubt ' ? An- 
swer. Keep us in expectation. If you are the Messiah, 
let us know it. 

Do you think they were sincere, or only wished to get 
him to say that he was the Messiah to condemn him ? 



148 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

They pretended, at least, that he would be entirely safe in 
telling them. 

What showed them whether he was the Messiah or 
not, if they wished to know ? 

When had Jesus told them that he was the Mes- 
siah ? 

Perhaps he had not told them at all in words, but he had 
told them by his works. And if he had not told them plainly 
that he was the Messiah, he had told them that he was the Son 
of God. See John v : 36 ; and viii : 54 and 58. 

If they were not determined not to believe, wasn't 
there plenty of proof that he was the Christ ? 
What did Jesus himself say was the proof of it ? 

So far, then, from craftily catching Jesus in talk, he turns 
them back upon themselves, telling them that they know in 
their hearts the proofs of his Messiahship. 

What does Jesus say is the reason why they do not be- 
lieve ? 

Why were they not his sheep ? Answer. Because 
they did not acknowledge him as the Door of the Fold 
and the Good Shepherd, as he had said to them* 
' My sheep hear my voice ' : was it easy to tell then who 
were not his sheep ? 

Can you tell by this test now who are his sheep ? 
What other two things did Jesus say of his sheep ? 
What does the Saviour give to his sheep ? 
Can any man really injure them ? 
If the Father is greater than all beings, no smaller being can 
take any thing from him, and therefore all the followers of 
Jesus are completely safe. 

Will he see that what he gives will be kept against 
all violence ? 
Are the Son and Father one in all things, or only in some 
things ? 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 149 

How then did Jesus mean that his Father was greater 
than himself ? 
Whom did the Jews understand by ' my Father ' ? 
Why did they wish to stone him ? 

The fact that the Jews took up stones to stone Jesus, when 
he said that the Father and he were one, shows in the strong- 
est manner that they understood him to claim to be God. 

Jesus said, ' Many good works,' etc.: can you name some 
of these good works ? 

You should notice how Jesus in all his discussions with the 
Pharisees, keeps before them his miracles, or good works, as 
the proof that he was from God. 



Jforijj-SMonfc Sunhmr, 



33. The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee 
not ; but for blasphemy ; and because that thou, being a man, maketh 
thyself God. 

34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye 
are gods % 

35. If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and 
the scripture cannot be broken : 

33. Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into 
the world, Thou blasphemest ; because I said, I am the Son of God? 

37. If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. 

38. But if I do, though ye believe me not, believe the works : that 
ye may know and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him. 

39. Therefore they sought again to take him ; but he escaped out of 
their hand, 

40. And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where 
John at first baptized ; and there he abode. 

41. And many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle : 
but all things that John spake of this man were true. 

42. And many believed on him there. 

Why did not the Jews wish to have it said that they stoned 
Jesus for a good work ? 



150 THE FOURTH YEAK. 

What did they say that they were stoning him for ? 

"What is blasphemy ? 

But if his works were a proof that he was divine, 
were they not stoning him for his good works ? 

If Jesus was only a man, and pretended to be God, 
was not that blasphemy ? 

And did not Jesus pretend to be -God ? 

Can you give any other passages of Scripture which 
prove that Jesus' is God ? 
Where was what Jesus said ' written in their law ' ? 

Law here means the Old Testament. See Psalm lxxxii : 6. 
Head, too, the first verse. 

Who are meant in the Psalm by ' Ye are gods ' ? 
Ansicer. Earthly judges. 

. If you will look at the last part of the sixth verse of that 
psalm, and at the seventh verse, you will see that men are 
meant ; for the same persons who are called gods, are called 
* children of the Most High/ and it is said that they shall 'die 
like men.' 

Who is meant by 'he,' in c if he called ' ? 

Who is meant by ' whom,' in 'unto whom' ? Answer. 
' Them ' who are called gods. 

Read it in this way: 'If he called them unto whom the 
word of God came, gods.' 

What does ' unto whom the word of God came ' 
mean? Ansicer. The judges whom the word of God, 
or the law appointed. . 

What is meant by ' Scripture cannot be broken ' ? 
What is meant by ' him whom the Father hath sanctified ' ? 

What does 'hath sanctified' mean ? Ansicer. Hath 
set apart, or hath appointed to his work. 

The meaning of what the Saviour said in these three verses 
is this : ' You say that I blasphemed, because I said I am the 
Son of God. But in the Old Testament it is said that human 



THE FOURTH YEAE. 



151 



judges are gods. And if the Old Testament says that human 
judges, whom God by his law appointed, are called gods, how 
do I, whom God also appoints, blaspheme by saying I am the 
Son of God?' In that very passage in which the judges are 
called gods, they are also called ' the children of the Most High/ 
as Jesus calls himself 'the Son of God.' 

Was Jesus more than a human judge ? 
Were the judges in that psalm good or wicked 
judges ? See the seventh and second verses of the 
psalm. 
When did Jesus say that it was right for them not to be- 
lieve ? 

4 If I do not the work of my Father ' means, ' if my miracles 
are not the miracles of GocV 

Yv r hen did Jesus say that they ought to believe what he did, 
even if they didn't believe what he said? 

There are two arguments in the reply of Jesus, neither of 
which the Jews could answer. The first is this : 'You say 
that I blaspheme because I say that I am the Son of God. 
Then surely the Scriptures themselves blaspheme, for they 
call earthly judges gods. And if the Scriptures do not blas- 
pheme in calling these earthly judges whom God appoints, gods, 
then / do not blaspheme in calling myself, whom my Father 
has appointed, the Son of God.' The second argument is 
this : ' I do not ask you to believe that I am the Son of God, 
oecause I say that I am, but you ought to believe it, oecause 
the miracles which I do, show that I am. If my miracles are 
not God's miracles, you ought not to believe me.' 

What is meant by 'that the Father is in me, and I 
in him' ? Answer, That I and the Father are one be- 
ing ; that God is in me, and I am in him. 

In what verse did he say that before ? 

But if they believed that his works were God's works, 
then must they not believe that his words were God's 
words ? 



152 THE FOUETH YEAR. 

Jesus did his miracles by his own divine power ; and yet 
they were done too by his Father's divine power. They were 
done by the Father and the Son using their power in each 
other. If they were the Father's miracles, they were the 
Son's miracles. If the people believed that they were God's 
miracles, then must they believe that Jesus was God, for he 
did them in his own name as God. 

Did the Jews try to answer his argument? 

"What did they do ? 

Did they succeed ? 
Did Jesus stay in Jerusalem ? 

What was the name of the place where John bap- 
tized ? 

Did Jesus stay there for any long time ? 

Who came to him there ? 

What does c resorted ' mean ? 

Were any of them those who knew about John the 
Baptist ? 

What did they say was the difference between Jesus 
and John the Baptist ? 
Did many or few believe on him ? 

Did they believe that he was a great physician, or 
that he was a prophet, or that he was the Messiah, or 
that he was the Son of God ? 

Then did not what John said about Jesus lead peo- 
ple to believe on Jesus ? 

How had John's words in John iii : 30 been ful- 
filled ? 

The next time that Jesus came back to Jerusalem or near 
to Jerusalem, was to do another miracle greater still, for then 
he raised Lazarus from the dead. It was only a few weeks 
later. 



THE FOURTH YEAR. | 53 



THE CONVERSATION AT THE TABLE. 

CHAPTER XIV. 

1. Let not your heart be troubled : ye believe in God, believe also 
in me. 

2. In my Father's house are many mansions : if it were not so, I 
would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 

3. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and 
receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 

4. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. 

5. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest ; 
and how can we know the way ? 

6. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life : 
no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 

7. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also : and 
from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. 

8. Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufneeth 
us. 

In studying this chapter, you will be helped by thinking 
that Jesus and his disciples were lying on couches around the 
table in the upper chamber, at Jerusalem. Jesus had washed 
the disciples' feet ; Judas had gone out to betray him ; Jesus 
had just eaten, with the disciples, the Lord's Supper; and 
now he, at the head of the table, talks with them, as he had 
already been doing at the table before the Lord's Supper. 
You will notice that it is a talk together, or a conversation at 
the table. They had all been saying, 'Lord, is it I who will 
betray thee V and John had asked who it was that would be- 
tray him. Jesus had said that he was going away from them, 
and Peter had said that he would go with him ; and Jesus had 
told Peter that he would deny his Master ; and now, in this 
chapter, as you go on, you will find that Thomas and Philip, 
and Judas-Lebbeus ask Jesus questions. The disciples be- 
gan to understand that Jesus was really to die soon ; for in 
the Lord's Supper he said, l Do this in remembrance of me, to 
show the Lord's death till he come.' 



154 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

The next day Jesus was put to death. Jesus was crucified 
on Friday ; and, as the supper and the conversation were the 
evening before, it was Thursday evening. 

Where were Jesus and his disciples when the conversation 
took place ? 

What had they been doing ? Eead Matthew xxvi : 
26-29. 

Before that, what had Jesus done to the disciples ? 
Read John xiii : 2-5. 

Who had left their company ? Read John xiii : 29, 
30. 

Why is this a conversation and not an address ? 

What was the object of Jesus in this conversation 
with his disciples ? Answer. To give them comfort, 
after he should be taken from them. 

Can you show that the disciples understood that 
Jesus was to die ? 

What evening of the week was this ? 
Why would the disciples' hearts be likely to be troubled ? 

How would belief in God help them in their trouble V 

When Jesus said, 'Believe in me,' did he mean, Be- 
lieve that I am. the Messiah, or, Believe that I am your 
Saviour, or, Believe the words that I speak to you ? 

What is the difference between c Believe in me ' and 
Believe me f 

How would such a belief in Jesus help them in trou- 
ble ? 

Although the disciples knew that Jesus was to leave them, 
they did not know that he was to be arrested by officers that 
very night, and the very next day to be condemned to death. 
They expected, when they came with Jesus, in his triumph 
to Jerusalem, only four days before, that he was going to 
make himself King. They must have been full of disap- 
pointment and sadness when they found out that he was 
soon to die. How dark the future seemed to them ! How 
beautiful and how tender these precious words of Jesus to 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 155 

them : 4 Let not your hearts be troubled. You believe that 
God exists and does all things well for you : just as surely as 
you believe in God, trust in me. y 

How is a ' mansion ' different from a l house ' ? 

What are the i many mansions in my Father's house ' ? 

How would the knowledge of many mansions there 
help to comfort them ? 

Why does he say, ' If there were no mansions, I 
would have told you ' ? Answer. i I would certainly 
not have led you to think of heaven, if I did not intend 
to bring you there.' 

Where else in the Scriptures is heaven spoken of as 
a house ? Read 2 Corinthians v : 1. 

In that great House there are many dwelling-places — man- 
sions for angels, mansions for seraphs, mansions for cherubs, 
mansions for all who have been already taken to heaven from 
earth, it may be, thousands of mansions for the inhabitants of 
thousands of worlds besides our own — dwelling-places enough 
for all who love God, wherever they may now live. 

What place was Jesus going to prepare for them ? 
When Jesus has prepared the place, how will he come again ? 

What will he come to his disciples for ? 

What proof of the lasting love of Jesus is there in 
the last part of the verse ? 
What is the meaning of i whither ' ? 

To what house had Jesus spoken of going ? 

What did he mean by that ? 

By what way would he reach his Father's house ? 

To whom in his Father's house was he going ? 

Did the disciples know that he was to be killed ? 

In Galilee he had plainly told them ; and on the way to 
Jerusalem, just a few days before, he had told them plainly. 
But they could not believe that the Messiah would be killed. 
Read Matthew xvii : 22, 23, and xx : 17-19. 



156 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

Did Thomas mean that none of the disciples knew where 
Jesus was going, and the way ? 

Didn't Thomas himself know that there was only one 
way to the Father ? 

Thomas perhaps thought, as Jesus was going from them, he 
would expect the disciples to follow without any farther direc- 
tion, and he did not feel sure that he knew how to follow. 

Repeat Jesus' answer, in the sixth verse. 

What did Jesus say was ' the way ' to the Father ? 

Show how he says this twice in this verse. 

"What does ' I am the truth ' mean ? Answer. I am 
the true way, or, I am true in that which I say and 
do, and if you trust me, you cannot miss the way. 

What does 'I am the life' mean ? Answer. I am the 
way to life ; or, I am the Source and the Giver of life 
to all who will go by me to my Father. 
Whom should the disciples know also if they knew Jesus ? 

Is this verse any proof that our Saviour is God ? 

What does ' from henceforth ' mean ? 

Would they know the Father any better 'from hence- 
forth ' than before ? 

How would they ' have seen ' the Father ' from hence- 
forth ' ? 
With what kind of sight did Philip wish to see the Father ? 

Philip probably thought that Jesus could, if he would, bring 
before them some glorious appearance of God the Father, such 
as Moses saw on Sinai. 

Can God ever be shown to man's bodily eyes ? 
When our Saviour promises the pure in heart that 
« they shall see God, how will they see him ? 

What does ' it sufficeth us' mean? Answer. 'We 
will be satisfied ;' 'it will be all that we wish/ 



THE FOURTH YEAE. 157 



$axiv-famth S uixb ; w, 



9. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and 
yet hast thou not known me, Philip ? he that hath seen me hath seen 
the Father ; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father ? 

10. Believest thou not that I am in the Father and the Father in me ? 
the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father 
that dweileth in me, he doeth the works. 

11*. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me : or 
else believe me for the very works' sake. 

12. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works 
that I do shall he do also ; and greater works than these shall he do ; 
because I go unto my Father. 

13. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that 
the Father may be glorified in the Son. 

14. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. 

15. If ye love me, keep my commandments. 

Philip wished for the actual sight of God. Jesus asked him 
if he had not yet known himself — that is, if he had not yet 
learned that He teas God. l He that hath seen me hath seen 
the Father.' This is a plain claim of Jesus that He was God 
Himself. 

Which is the emphatic word in the first question of Jesus' 
answer to Philip ? Answer. Me. Read the verse, with the 
emphasis on the word me both times. 

When Jesus said, i He that hath seen me hath seen 
the Father,' did he claim that he -and the Father were 
one being ? 

How had Philip seen the Father then ? 
Had Jesus ever said any thing from which Philip should 
have believed that He and the Father were in each other ? 
Answer. See chapter x : 38. 

In what sense were the words of Jesus spoken * not 
of himself? 

How did the Father dwell in Jesus on earth ? 
What works are meant ? 

What had the works of the Father to do with the 
words which Jesus spoke? 



158 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

« The Father did the miracles to shew that the words of Jesus 
were true. 

There is here a gentle and tender reproof of Philip, for his 
slowness in believing his words, as if Jesus had said, 4 T am 
surprised, Philip, that you do not yet believe that I and the 
Father exist in each other. Whether you can understand 
what I say, about my existence in the Father and he in me, 
they are the words which God gave me to speak, and which I 
do not speak simply as man. And my Father shows what I 
say is true, by doing the miracles.' 

Between what two things is the comparison between 
the first and last parts of this verse ? Answer. Believe 
my words, or else believe the l wor7cs' which show that 
my words are true. 

This doesn't mean all the words of Jesus everywhere, but 
those words which say that he and his Father are one Being. 

What works which Jesus did, did those who believed on 
him do ? H 

What did Jesus give to his disciples ? Answer. See 
Matthew xi : 1. 

What c greater works' would they do than these, 
after Jesus had gone ? Answer. They would establish 
the Church in the midst of its enemies, and would be 
the means of its conquering the world. 

These works too, which the disciples would do, would prove 
that He and his Father were One. And these greater works, 
as the world goes on, would prove, more and more, that Christ 
was God. 

+ Why is the conversion of a soul a greater work than 
a miracle ? , 

Wiry did Jesus say that his disciples would do great- 
er works "because he would go to his Father ? Answer, 
Because he would go to his Father to intercede for his 
disciples, and to send his Spirit to help them. 



THE FOURTH YEAR. , - « 

1 o 1) 

Perhaps he meant too : ' Because I am going away, you shall 
do miracles in my place ; and then your works shall be greater 
than mine.' 

When Jesus said, ' Whatever ye shall ask in my name,' did 
he mean that they should ask for help to do the works spoken 
of in the preceding verses ? 

The way in which the whole great work of His Church 
would go on, would be by prayer to His Father in His name. 

Had Jesus ever taught his disciples before to pray in 
his name ? 

Did he teach them to pray in his name in the Lord's 
Prayer ? 

What reason is there that he should teach them to 
pray in his name ? Answer. Because he had been with 
them all the while before, but now he was going from 
them. 

What do we mean when we say, 'for Christ's sake, 7 
or, ' for the sake of Jesus Christ,' at the end of our pray- 
ers ? 

What does 'glorified' mean? Answer. May have 
glory. 

How is the Father glorified in the Son, by answering 
prayers made in the Son's name ? 

Answer. It is an honor or a glory to a king to answer people 
who come to him, telling him that his noble son sent them to ask 
him ; and it is an honor or a glory to a king to do great things 
in answer to such requests from his son. So God has been 
praised and honored by the great growth of the Church, from 
the time of the apostles to this day, in answer to prayer in the 
name of Jesus, his Son. 

Is there any thing which Jesus will not do, if we ask in his 
name ? 

Is every prayer that is made in Jesus' name an- 
swered ? 



160 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

Is it right to ask for such things as help in study and 
in daily work ? 

Cannot these things help the growth of his kingdom ? 

We should notice here how Jesus claims again to be God. 
He does not say, If ye shall ask sluj thing in my name, He, 
that is, God will do it, but /, who am God, will do it. 

What proof of their love does Jesus require of his disciples ? 

Can you keep all the commandments of Jesus per- 
fectly?" 

What is meant then by ' keep my commandments ' ? 

Can we hope for the greater work of the kingdom of 
God on earth, in answer to our prayers, unless we keep 
the commands of Jesus ? 



Jmig-Mjj Smtbajj. 



16. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Com- 
forter, that he may abide with you for ever ; 

17. Even the Spirit of truth ; whom the world cannot receive, be- 
cause it seeth him not, neither knoweth him : but ye know him ; for 
he dwelleth with you and shall be in you. 

18. I will not leave you comfortless : I will come to you. 

19. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see 
me : because I live, ye shall live also. 

20. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in 
me, and I in you. 

21. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that 
loveth me : and he that loveth me shall be loved of ray Father, and I 
will love him, and will manifest myself to him. 

22. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou 
wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world ? 

23. Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will 
keep my words : and my Father will love him, and we will come 
unto him, and make our abode wjth him. 

How are the three persons of the Trinity mentioned in the 
sixteenth verse ? 






THE FOURTH YEAR. ]G1 

Why is the Spirit called a ' Comforter ' ? 

If the Spirit is ' another comforter/ who is the first 
comforter ? 

Was it necessary that Jesus should pray to the Fa- 
ther to have the Comforter sent ? 

How long would the Comforter remain ? 

Does this mean that when once he has come, he will 
remain with the Church or with each believer for ever ? 
Why is the Comforter called 'the Spirit of Truth 1 f 

What is meant by ' the world cannot receive ' ? 

Why cannot the world receive him ? 

Can any one see the Spirit ? 

Does seeing him mean any thing different from know- 
ing him ? 

The Spirit cannot be seen among men with the eyes of the 
body ; but the fruits of the Spirit can he seen in the acts of 
God's children. But the people of the world, not knowing the 
Spirit in their own hearts, do not see that these fruits, in 
Christian people, are the work of the Spirit. And so it may 
be said that they do not see or recognize the Spirit. 

Why cannot the world know or see the Spirit ? Read 
1 Corinthians ii : 14. 

If the Spirit dwells in a person, will the person always 
know Him ? 

Does Jesus, in the verses from the fourteenth to the 
seventeenth, keep up the thought of going to the Father 
or not ? 

Does he keep up the same thought in the rest of the 
verses of the lesson or not ? 

What great and wonderful promises these are, to comfort 
the disciples ! In the sixteenth and seventeenth verses, Jesus 
promises that the Spirit will come to them ; from the eight- 
eenth to the twenty -first verses, he promises that He Himself 
will come again to them; from the twenty-second to the twen- 
ty-fourth verse, he promises that the Father will come to them. 
Father, Son, and Spirit will be with the disciples, and on their 



162 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

side against the world, to give them strength and wisdom and 
success. 

Does the first part of the eighteenth verse mean simply that 
the disciples should have comfort in their trouble ? Answer. 
No. It means, 'I will not leave you without such comfort as I 
give.' 

How is the comfort of Jesus better than other com- 
fort ? 

If you are in trouble, and your friend ' comes to you/ 
isn't that of itself a comfort ? 

And in proportion as your friend is greater and better, your 
comfort is increased. 

How has Jesus come to his disciples, as he promised 
in the last part of this verse, since he ascended to 
heaven ? 

How will he one day come again to his Church ? 
Why would not the world see Jesus any more after 'a little 
while ' ? 

Did any one see Jesus on earth, between his resur- 
rection and ascension, but his disciples ? 
What is meant then by ' see me no more' ? 
How would the disciples see him after his death ? 
Does Jesus mean life on earth or eternal life, when he says, 
4 Because I live, ye shall live also ' ? 

Jesus means : If you are sure that I cannot die, but w ill 
always live, you may be sure that my true disciple will live 
also. 

'At that day': what day? Ansioer. The day when the 
Comforter shall come. 

How would they know at that day that Jesus is ' in 
the Father, and the Father in him and Jesus in them ' ? 
Can we understand how Jesus is in the Father ? 
Can we lenow it without understanding? 
How are believers in Jesus and Jesus in believers ? 
Why cannot those who are not believers understand 
this? 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 163 

If the disciple knows that Jesus is in him, and that he is 
in Jesus, that makes a union of love and happiness between the 
two; and that is the reason why Jesus speaks in the next verso 
of loving his disciples. 

What two things in respect to Jesus' commandments must 
there be, to show that a person loves him ? 

Can a person have one of these two things, and not 
love Jesus ? 

What two divine persons will love the person who 
loves Jesus ? 

The verse before this shows that Jesus and the Father are 
united in the same union of love and of happiness that Jesus 
and his disciples are, for he says, 'I am in my Father.' Now, 
if Jesus is in the Father, and the Father and Son are one in 
such a love, then whoever is united to the Son in such a love, 
must le united to the Father in the same love. 

What does 'manifest' mean? 

How does Jesus 'manifest himself to his disciples 
on earth now ? 
Who now asks a question of Jesus ? 

Can you find the name of ' Judas, not Iscariot,' 
among the twelve disciples ? See Matthew x : 1-3 
and Luke vi: 13-16. 

Judas Iscariot, we know, had gone out to get the Jews 
ready, so that he might betray Jesus to them. This Judas 
was, we suppose, the same as Thaddeus or Lebbeus, mention- 
ed in the lists of the twelve disciples. 

What did Judas-Thaddeus wish to know ? 

Is it easy to understand the thing which Judas wish- 
ed to know, if it was meant by ' manifesting himself/ 
to show himself in his body ? 

Jesus in his answer to Judas shows that he will manifest 
himself to those who love him and who keep his command- 
ments, in three things. 



164 THE FOUKTH YEAR. 

In what three things did Jesus say that he would manifest 
himself to the person who loved him ? 

How does Jesus ' manifest himself by the love of 
the Father to the person who loves him ? 

Pie is the one who brings the soul to the Father, and shows 
his love as the Saviour by making the soul feel the Father's 
love. 

Who are meant by ' we ' ? 

How do they make their ' abode ' with the disciples ? 
Show now how the question of Judas was answered 
in this reply of Jesus. 



Jwijr-sfeilj Smtb u\y< 



24. He that lovetli me not keepetli not my sayings : and the word 
which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me. 

25. These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with 
you. 

26. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father 
will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all 
things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. 

27. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you : not as the 
world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, nei- 
ther let it be afraid. 

28. Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again 
unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice because I said, I go unto 
the Father : for my Father is greater than I. 

29. And now I have told- you before it came to pass, that when it is 
come to pass, ye might believe. 

30. Hereafter I will not talk much with you : for the prince of this 
world cometh, and hath nothing in me. 

31. But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as 
the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go 
hence. 

In the last verse of the last lesson, Jesus answered the first 
part of Judas' question. He showed him how he would man- 
ifest himself unto his apostles. Now he shows how he does 



THE FOURTH YEAR. |(35 

not manifest himself unto the world, which is in answer to tho 
second part of Judas' question. 

To whom does he who 'loveth me not' belong, to the disci 
pies or to the world ? 

Who is meant by ' the world ' ? 
Does the world keep his savings ? 
Then, if the world neither loves him nor keeps his 
sayings, will the world have the three things which are 
given to those who do love him ? 

Does ' the word ' mean the same as ' my sayings ' ? 
Whose word, then, besides the Son's word does the 
world not keep ? 

Is that the reason why neither the Father nor the 
Son love them, and come to them, and abide in them ? 
Show, then, how Jesus does not manifest himself unto the 
world as he manifests himself unto his disciples. 

This was a very different answer, no doubt, from what 
Philip expected. He was thinking of Jesus being King over 
all the people. And how can he be king, he thought, before 
us, and not before all the people ? 

What things are meant by ' These things ' — the things said 
in the conversation, or all that he had said in that upper cham- 
ber, jot a,ll that he had said to them during his lifetime ? 
Who would teach them more things than ' these things ' ? 
What other things would he teach ? 
What is the meaning of 'Holy Ghost' f 
Who sends the Holy Spirit ? 
What is meant by 4 in my name ' ? 
Is there any other way of obtaining the Holy Spirit 
for the conversion of our own souls than by asking in 
Jesus' name ? 

How was this promise to bring to remembrance c all 
things whatsoever I have said unto you ' fulfilled, when 
some of the apostles came to write the Scriptures ? 

Was it not fulfilled when John wrote these very chap- 
ters? 



Itff) THE FOURTH YEAE. 

Is it meant that the Spirit brings now to the remem- 
brance of Jesus' followers the words of Jesus ? 

When Jesus said, l Peace I leave with you/ he was using 
the farewell salutation of the East, but he so used it as to 
make it mean wonderfully more than when it was commonly 
used. 

Jesus said, i my peace ' : how is his peace different from any 
other peace ? 

Does the world give any "kind of peace to men ? 

How does Jesus give differently from the world ? 

If the disciples should have Jesus' peace, would their 
hearts be troubled ? 

Can we have this same peace now or not ? 

Need we at any time have trouble or fear if we have 
this peace? 

-What was the first thing which Jesus said when he 
saw the disciples after he rose from the dead? See 
chapter xx : 19, 21, 26. 
Where, in this chapter, had Jesus said that he was going 
away ? 

Where had he said that he would come again ? 

Why should they rejoice on account of his going 
away ? 

Why should it have been joyful to them to think 
that he was going to his Father ? 

'If ye loved me ' : did not the disciples love Jesus ? 

If the Father is greater than Jesus, how are the Fa- 
ther and the Son equal to each other ? 

Jesus in this world doing the work of the Messiah, and 
having a human nature, is less than the Father, while in his 
divine nature he is always equal to the Father. Jesus said : 
* Ye would rejoice because I go unto the Father, "because the 
Father is greater than I.' The reason for rejoicing is, that 
Jesus is going to leave his low condition, in which his Father 
is now greater than he, and to be again equal with his Father. 
Show from Philippians ii : 6-8 that Jesus was both 
equal with and inferior to God. 



THE FOUItTH YEAK. iQj 

What was it which Jesus had told before ' it came to pass ' ? 

What was it which he wished them to believe ? 

What reason does Jesus give why he would not talk 
much with his disciples after this ? 

Who is the ' prince of this world ' ? 

How was he then coming ? 

What does c hath nothing in me ' mean ? Answer. 
It is because of sin that Satan, the prince of this 
world, has any thing to do with men ; but in Jesus is 
no sin, and so he has no power over Jesus. It is as if 
Jesus had said : 'In me he finds no sin — nothing he 
can call his own.' 
In the last verse of the lesson, what commandment did 
Jesus mean that his Father had given him ? 

Was it hard or easy for Jesus to do this command- 
ment ? 

What, then, did his doing it make the world to 
know ? 

Is it necessary to think that Jesus and the disciples 
went directly out as soon as Jesus said, ' Arise, let us 
go'? Answer. No. But that they arose from the 
couches on which they were reclining around the .table, 
and began to get ready to go. They might still have 
been standing in the room, while Jesus spoke, what is 
in the fourteenth, fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth 
chapters. 
Show now how going to the Father is the thing spoken of 
from the second to the fourth verse : in the sixth verse : in 
the twelfth verse : in the sixteenth verse : in the eighteenth 
and nineteenth verses: in the twenty-seventh and twenty- 
eighth verses. 



16.8 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

THE ADDRESS AFTER RISING FROM THE TABLE. 

CHAPTER XY. 

1. I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 

2. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away : and 
every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth 
more fruit. 

3. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto 
you. 

4. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear frait of 
itself, except it abide in the vine ; no more can ye, except ye abide in 
me. 

5. I am the vine, ye are the branches : he that abideth in me, and 
I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit : for without me ye can 
do nothing. 

6. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is 
withered ; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they 
are burned. 

7. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what 
ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 

Where was our Saviour when he made this address to his 
disciples ? 

"What had they just risen from ? 

They were no doubt still standing in the room, perhaps get- 
ting ready to go out, or gathered close around him at that sol- 
emn moment, when he had risen to leave them. Perhaps 
some of them were putting aside the wine left on the table, 
and Jesus noticing the wine, spoke to them of the vine from 
which the wine comes. Or there might have been a grape- 
vine growing by the window, to which he pointed them when 
he said : 'lam the true vine.' 

How is our Saviour like a vine ? 
What is a husbandman ? 

Why does our Saviour say that he is the True Vine ? 
How is his Father the Husbandman to that Vine ? 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 169 

Who are the branches of that true Vine ? 

What is meant by i taketh away ' the branch which 
does not bear fruit ? Look at verse six. 

What does he do to the branch which bears fruit ? 

There are two kinds of branches on vines : one, which has 
on it clusters of grapes, and the other which are called ' suck- 
ers/ because they suck away the life and strength of the vine, 
without becoming grapes. 

What is meant by * purgeth it ' ? Answer. Taketh 
away the bad parts of it. Cutteth off the suckers, or 
pruneth it. 

Why does he prune it ? 
How does God prune the disciples of Jesus ? 
What is meant by ' ye are clean ' ? 

Jesus says, c Ye are clean through my words. 1 He means, 
* Ye are made clean from sin by doing my words.' But to 
be clean from sin we must do his words as well as have him 
speak them to us. 

In what way did the words of Jesus make his disci- 
ples clean from sin ? 

Will not the words of Jesus make us more unclean, 

if we do not do them ? 

What connection has ' abide in me' with the verse before 

it ? Ansicer. It is as if he had said, * Nbio ye are clean, or 

ye are clean now : abide in me, that you may continue to be 

clean.' 

What is it to abide in the Saviour ? 
Is there a promise or not in the words, ' and I in 
you ' ? 

How are branches in a vine ? Answer. They are so 
joined to it as to talce life from it, but to give nothing 
to it. 

How is the vine in the branches ? Answer. It is so 
continued into the branches as to give life to them, but 
to take nothing from them. 



170 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

What is the fruit which the disciples of Jesus are 
expected to bear ? 

If the graft of a tree or of a vine does not abide in 
the tree or vine, what will be the result to the fruit ? 
How does Jesus, in the fifth verse, explain what he had 
said? 

The graft which is imperfectly joined to the tree cannot 
bear as much fruit as the graft which is perfectly joined. The 
sap, which is what gives life to the vine, must flow freely back 
and forth through the joint between the vine and the branch, 
in order to have a large crop of fruit. Or if a natural branch 
is almost cut off, it cannot bear so much fruit. 

What kind of a branch has the most fruit ? 
What kind of a believer brings forth 'much fruit' ? 
Can the branch do any thing without the stalk of 
the tree or vine ? 

Why can the disciples ' without me do nothing' ? 
What becomes of the branch which does not keep the life 
of the tree in it ? 

What do men do with such branches ? 

Branches of trees or of vines which decay at the joint of 
the branch and the trunk, soon wither, and become dead. 
Every good husbandman cuts off such dead and withered 
branches. 

What will the great Husbandman do with such dead 

branches of the true vine? 

The branch of a vine or of a tree is not able to say whether 

it will be a living or a dead branch, but every believer has it 

in his power to say whether he will abide in the True Vine or 

not. 

In what way do disciples abide in their Saviour? 
How do ' his words ' abide ' in them ' ? 
If 'his words' abide 'in them,' and the disciples 
abide in him, what will Jesus do for them ? 

When the verse says that ' whatsoever ye will shall 
he done unto you,' who does it mean will do it ? 



THE FOUKTH YEAR. 171 

Whom shall we ask ? 

Can we really ask, if we do not abide in him, and 
his words do not abide in us ? 

Does ' what ye will ' mean any thing whatever ? 



Jm%-ncj|)tjj Sitttbag, 



8. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit ; so shall 
ye be my disciples. 

9. As the Father hath loved me, so hare I loved you : continue ye 
in my love. 

10. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love ; even 
as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. 

11. These things have 1 spoken unto you, that my joy might remain 
in you, and that your joy might be full. 

12. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have 
loved you. 

13. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life 
for his friends. 

14. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 

15. Henceforth, I Call you not servants ; for the servant knoweth 
not what his lord doeth : .but I have called you friends ; for all things 
that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 

What is meant by ' herein ' ? 

What is meant by * glorified ' ? 

How does ' much fruit ' glorify our heavenly Father ? 

Acts or words which are like God, give praise to, or give 
glory to God, or glorify God. Many such acts or many such 
words are ' much fruit.' 

What kind of fruits in men's lives do glorify our 
heavenly Father ? Read Matthew v : 16. 

* So shall ye be my disciples ' : how ? 

Will a true disciple be satisfied without bearing much 
fruit? 

Are outward good works the only kind of fruit which 
proves who are disciples ? Read Galatians v : 22, 28, 



172 THE FOURTH YEAR, 

The vine is our loving Saviour : the branches are those who 
love him : the fruit is a loving life in Christian graces and 
good works among men : and the sap which flows from the 
vine through the branches into the fruit, and making the fruit, 
is love. 

How ranch does the ninth verse say that' our Saviour loves 
his disciples ? 

You cannot imagine a greater and more happy love than the 
love of God the Father and God the Son. God is love itself ; 
and between the Father and the Son is the very height and 
fulness of love ; and yet this is the Tcind of love with which 
the Saviour loves his disciples. 

Has he loved us so much already, or is he to love us 
so much in the future life ? 

"What does i continue ye ' mean ? Answer. I love 
you so much ; Tceep the same degree of love with which 
I now love you. 

The only way for the branch to have its fruit of love is to 
keep closely joined to the vine, so that the sap can flow ; and, 
in order to Tceep closely joined, it must say and do what the 
Vine says and does. 

How does our Saviour say that we '•shall abide' in this 
same degree of love ? 

Does the divine Father's love for his Son ever change 
or grow less ? 

Will the Saviour's love to his disciples ever change ? 
If we then do not feel his love to continue the same, 
who is it that changes — the disciple or the Master ? 
What was the object which Jesus had in saying ' these 
things ' ? 

What is the difference between 'joy ' and * love ' ? 
Can you have the best kind of joy without love ? 
Is there any difference between 'your joy' and 'my 
joy,' in this verse ? 
When is joy full? 



THE FOURTH YEAK. 173 

Why does not the fulness of joy always remain in us ? 
How does Jesus command us to love one another, in the 
twelfth verse ? 

If we do this commandment, do we do all other com- 
mandments ? ** 
What shows the greatest possible degree of love among men ? 
Have you ever heard or read of any man who was 
ready to lay down his life for another ? 

Did Jesus lay down his life for none but his friends ? 
Answer. Yes ; but" here he is speaking of his friends, 
and not of his enemies. 
How should the disciples prove, on their part, that they 
were his friends ? 

And what command had he just given them ? 
Will it prove at last, that Jesus laid down his life for 
any one who did not try to obey his commands ? 
What does ' Henceforth ' mean ? 

Had Jesus ever called his disciples l servants ' ? An- 
swer. See chapter xiii : 13-16'. 

Why does not the servant ' know what his lord doeth ' ? 

Masters or lords do not tell their servants what their plans 
are, unless it is their pleasure to do so. 

Does that prove the servant to be equal or inferior ? 
Did Jesus tell his disciples what he was going to do ? 
How did that prove that he felt them to be his friends ? 

If you would see how God honored Abraham in this way, as 
his friend, read Genesis xviii : 17. 

How much did Jesus make known to his disciples ? 



174 THE FOURTH YEAR. 



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16. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained 
you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should 
remain : that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he 
may give it you. 

17. These things I command you, that ye love one another. 

18. If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated 
you. 

19. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own : but be- 
cause ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, 
therefore the world hateth you. 

20. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not 
greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also per- 
secute you ; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. 

Jesus had just told the disciples that they were his friends; 
and it might be that some of them would think that they had 
done a good thing in choosing to be his disciples. To keep 
down any such feelings of false pride, Jesus tells them that 
they could not have become his disciples by their own choice, 
unless he had chosen them. 

Had the disciples become the friends of Jesus because they 
had chosen him for their friend ? 

How had they become friends ? 
Can any one be a disciple of Jesus by choosing to be, 
unless Jesus chooses him ? 
What does i ordain ' mean ? 
What had Jesus ordained the disciples to do ? 

I have 'ordained you 7 means 'I have appointed you to be 
my disciples and apostles, that you should go and do such 
deeds and speak such words that men shall say your words 
and deeds are proper fruit from branches of such a Vine as I.' 

What is meant by 'your fruit should remain ' ? 

Some fruit promises well when it buds or begins to grow ; 
but the bud is destroyed by the cold, or after a little time, 



THE FOURTH YEAF*. 175 

while the fruit is still green and unripe, it drops off, proving 
that it is good for nothing; but good fruit remains until it is 
ripe. 

"Would not the Father give them what thej ask for, 
unless their fruit should remain ? 

Why must we bear fruit in order to have our prayers 
heard ? 

The fruit we bear, because Jesus gives us life to bear it ; 
and the prayers we ask, because Jesus gives us permission to 
say that he sent us to ask. The Father is pleased to have 
us ask in the name of his Son, if we hue the fruit s of his Son. 

For what purpose did Jesus command these things ? 

All these things which he had been saying, he said to them 
or commanded them, in order to make them love each other. 

How would these things help them to love each other ? 
While Jesus and his disciples love each other, who hates 
them ? 

Why would it hate the disciples as well as their 
Lord ? 

For the very reason that the disciples and the Master are 
united in love to each other, the world would hate loth. Just 
as they are bound together in love of each other, do they to- 
gether receive the hatred of the world. 

What does 'ye were of the tcorld 1 mean ? 

What does 'his own' mean ? Answer. Its own peo- 
ple or its own friends. If you were yourselves the 
people of the world, the world would love its own peo- 
ple. 

What is meant by ■ the world ' ? 

What is meant by ' ye are not of the world ' ? 

Is the hatred of the world, the hate which springs 
from envy because they are selected out of the world, 
or because their leaving the world condemns the world's 
conduct ? 



176 - THE FOURTH YEAR. 

In what manner does the world now show its hatred 
of the Saviour's disciples ? 

What does i the word ' mean, in the sentence, * Re- 
member the word that I said ' ? 

Yv 7 hen had Jesus said, ' The servant is not greater 
than his lord' ? Look at xiii : 16. 

What had he been doing when he said that ? Find 
it in the thirteenth chapter. 

What did Jesus mean by it ? 

Does the world now hate the Master ? 

Does it show its hatred in the same way it once did ? 

Can you mention any of its ways of persecution now ? 

In what two things can you say, from this verse, the 
world would treat Jesus and his disciples alike ? 

If an enemy of a vine or of a tree cuts or injures the trunk 
of the tree or vine, he injures the branches as much as he does 
the trunk. If a friend of a vine or of a tree digs around it, to 
make it grow, he helps the branches as much as the trunk. 
So no one can injure our divine Master without injuring the 
disciples ; and no one can love the words of Jesus without 
loving the words of his disciples. 



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21. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, 
because they know not him that sent me. 

22. If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin; 
but now they have no cloak for their sin. 

23. He that hateth me hateth my Father al so. 

24. If I had not done among them the works which none other man 
did, they had not had sin : but now have they both seen and hated 
both me and my Father. 

25. But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is 
written in their law, They hated me without a cause. 

25. But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto yon 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 177 

from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the 
Father, he shall testify of me : 

27. And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with mo 
from the beginning. 

What things are 4 all these things ' ? 

Does the world do such things ' for my name's sake ' ? 

Does 'know not him that sent me' mean, know not 

that his Father lives, or, know not that the Father sent 

Jesus, or do not acknowledge God to have sent Jesus? 

If the w r orld did not know l him,' would they do such 

things to the disciples of Jesus ? 

Would the people of the world be guilty of no sin, if Jesus 

had not come and spoken to them ? 

What is their great sin, now that Jesus has, come and 
spoken to them ? 

Is your sin greater or less, if you reject Jesus, now 
that he has come and spoken to you ? 

What does ' no* cloak for their sin ' mean ? 

* A cloak is a garment so large, that a person can cover al- 
most the whole of himself in it. A cloak for sin is an excuse 
with w T hich to cover sin. If Jesus had not come to tell you 
that you might be saved, you might then have said, as an ex- 
cuse for not obeying God, that you could not be saved from the 
sins which you had already committed ; but now that Jesus 
has come, you have no such excuse, nor any excuse for sin. 

Why is hatred of Jesus, hatred of his Father ? 

Can you hate Jesus without hating God ? 

'Can you hate God without hating Jesus ? 
What w^ere ' the works which none other man f did ? 

Would the people of the world be without any sin, if 
these works had not been done among them ? 

But now what two things have they done ? 

To what two persons have they done them ? 

Jesus did miracles such as no prophet like Moses or Elijah 
or Elisha, or any other man did ; and oyqyj body who saw them 
without prido or prejudice, saw that he was divine, or that the 



178 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 



miracles were done by himself and God. They who have ' both 
seen and hated me and my Father ' are they who would not 
see that those miracles, such only as God can do, were done 
by him and his Father, and who hated Jesus for pretending 
that he and his Father did them. 

What is meant by 'have seen me and my Father' ? 
What had the ' works ' to do with their seeing and 
hating both him and the Father ? 
Where 'in their law' are the words written which Jesus 
quoted ? Read Psalm lxix : 4. 

Is there any kind of hatred which has a right cause ? 
Who hated Jesus ? 

The Jews said that Jesus and Satan did the miracles, and 
not Jesus and God. They pretended that there Was a good 
cause for hating Jesus, because he and Satan did the miracles. 
But Jesus told them : l If you hate me, you must hate God, 
my Father, for it is I and God who do these miracles.' 

Persons who hate others generally imagine that they have 
some cause for hating, as the Jews did who hated Jesus, when 
there is no real cause. 

While they were hated by the world, who would be a Com- 
forter to them ? 

Who would send him — the Father or the Son ? From 
whom— the Father or the Son ? 

Jesus, who is the cause of their being hated, is the cause of 
comfort to them. 

Why is the Comforter called the Spirit of Truth ? 

When the Holy Spirit makes you to feel your sins, 
does he do any thing more than to make you see just 
the truth ? 

Do the words ' proceedeth from the Father/ mean 
any thing more the words, ' sent from the Father ' ? 

What will the Comforter do when he is come? 

How will he testify of the Saviour ? 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 1^9 

By miracles and by wonderful gifts of prophecy, and of 
speaking in various languages, the Spirit testified of Jesus after 
he had ascended to heaven. Read, in the first half of the sec- 
ond chapter of Acts, how the Spirit testified of Jesus by mir- 
aculous signs. 

Who besides the Comforter will bear witness ? 

Can any one bear witness of Jesus who has not the 
Spirit to testify to himself ? 

What reason is given why the disciples should bear 
witness of Jesus ? 
' From the beginning' of what ? 

Prove from the first epistle of John i : 1 to 3, that the 
apostles did bear witness of Jesus. 

Can you tell any other times in which the apostles 
bore witness ? 

Show, from Acts x : 39, how the apostles and the 
B.o\y Spirit were witnesses together of Jesus. 

What about Jesus were they witnesses of ? 

In Jerusalem and in Judea, in Samaria and in Syria, in Asia 
Minor and in Macedonia and in Greece and in Rome and in 
other regions, the apostles testified that Jesus is the Christ and 
the Saviour. 

The fifteenth chapter is not the whole of the address after 
rising from the table, but the sixteenth chapter is the rest of 
it. It is too long to have all of it in this book, and enough of 
it has been given to show how close the Saviour wished the 
disciples to be to his very heart, as a branch is close to a vine. 

What is the subject of this address ? Answer. The 
union of the Saviour with his disciples. 

What figure is used to show it in the first part of the 
chapter ? 

Plow is this union to be continued ? 

How does the Saviour show the greatness of the love 
of this union by the love of the Father and Himself? 

Hew does he show it by the love of friends ? 



180 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

How does he show it by the hatred of the world ? 
How does he show it by the testimony which they 
and his Spirit will give ? 



REVIEW OF THE FOURTH QUARTER OF THE YEAB. 

Review as many lessons of the quarter as you can. 

What three Addresses of our Saviour have we had the past 
quarter ? 

Tell me something before and something after the 
first ; the second ; the third. 
I. The Discussion after the Man eorn Blind was Healed. 
This address was begun last quarter, but is finished in this 
quarter. 

What did Jesus mean by c the Door of the sheep fold' ? 
What did he mean by ' the Good Shepherd ' ? 
What did he mean by 'the hireling' ? 
Who are ' the sheep ' ? 

How did this parable apply to the Pharisees and to 
himself? 
Into what two parts were the Jews divided when Jesus fin- 
ished this parable ? 

How did some of them prove that he had not a devil ? 
What is the rest of this chapter an account of ? 

Is it the same subject as in the first part of the chap- 
ter or not ? 

Yf hat was the Feast of Dedication ? 
Why was Jesus in Solomon's porch? 
What did the Jews around him ask ? 
Why did not Jesus give a direct answer to their 
question ? 

What was there which answered their question better 
than his words ? 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 131 

Why does he- say, that they are not the sheep of his 
fold ? 

How did Jesus say that his own sheep were safe ? 
Repeat the words in. which Jesus says that he and his Fa- 
ther are equal. 

Do these words mean that they are united as well as 
equal ? 

Do they prove that Jesus is God ? 

What shows how the Jews understood it ? 

What did they say that Jesus had done ? 

Give the argument, from the Old Testament, by 
which he proves that he had not spoken blasphemy. 

What did Jesus constantly say that _they should be- 
lieve, if they didn't believe his words ? 

Repeat the verse in which he said again that he and 
his Father were one. 

What did the Jews then try to do ? 

Where did Jesus go ? 

Why did many believe on him there ? 
II. The Conversation at the Table. 
At what table was this conversation ? 

What had Jesus and his disciples been doing ? 

What did the disciples begin to understand about 
Jesus ? How do you prove it ? 
What was the object of Jesus in this conversation ? 
What made the future seem dark to them ? 

What did he tell them to believe in their trouble ? 

Does ' ye believe in God, believe also in me,' mean, 
Trust me as you trust God, or Believe that I am your 
Messiah and Saviour, or Believe the' words which I 
speak to you ? 

What did he say about his Father's house, to com- 
fort them ? 

When Jesus has prepared the place, what will he do 
to his disciples ? 
What did Thomas say to Jesus ? 

Explain 'way,' ' truth,' 'life,' in Jesus' reply. 



182 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

What did Philip say to Jesus ? 

With what kind of sight did Philip wish to see the 
Father ? 

Give Jesus' answer and explain it. 
How does Jesus tell the disciples to ask when they ask the 
Father ? 

Whom does he promise to send ? 

Why is the Spirit called 'the Spirit of Truth 1 ? 

, What two divine persons will love the person who 
loves Jesus ? 

What does 4 manifest myself to him ' mean ? 
Bepeat what Judas-Thaddeus said to Jesus. Explain it. 

In what three things does Jesus say that he will man- 
ifest himself to his disciples ? 

Will these three things be manifested unto the world ? 

Who sends the Holy Spirit ? 

In whose name is he sent ? 

Is there any way of receiving the Holy Spirit to con- 
vert our souls, than by asking in Jesus' name ? 

What is meant by c Peace I leave with you ' ? 

What is meant by ' my peace ' ? 

Give as many of the reasons for comfort in this con- 
versation as you can. 
Is it necessary to think that Jesus and his disciples went 
directly out as soon as Jesus said, ; Arise, let us go hence ' ? 
III. The Address after rising from the Table. 

Where was our Saviour when he made this address ? 
To what does he compare himself? and his disci- 
ples ? 

What is meant by c beareth fruit ' ? 

What two kinds of branches are on vines ? 

How are some disciples ' taken away' and some 
* purged' ? 

What is meant when it is said that a branch cannot 
bear fruit of itself ? 

What kind of a believer brings forth ' much fruit ' ? 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 1^3 

What becomes of a branch which does not keep the 
life of the vine in it ? 

What will become of disciples in the Church who are 
not in the Vine f 

Are outward good works the only kind of fruit ? 

What is it which flows from the True Vine through 
his True Branches, making the True Fruit ? 
Repeat the verse in which our Saviour shows how much he 
loves his disciples. 

Do our sins, if we are sorry for them, prevent his 
loving us. ? 

How are we to continue in this love ? 

What thing shows the greatest love of one man for 
another ? 

How did Jesus show this love for us ? 

How did Jesus show that he confided in his disciples 
as friends ? 

Did the disciples become Jesus' friends simply from 
their own choice ? 

Can any one of us be Jesus' friend simply by choos- 
ing to be ? 

Is the hatred of the world toward the disciples, hatred 
on account of envy of the disciples, or because their 
leaving the world condemns it ? 

Why is there now no cloak for the sin of the world ? 

Have the world any cause for hating Jesus ? 

But did the Jews think that they had cause for hat- 
ing Jesus ? 

Whom does Jesus promise to send to his disciples ? 

Is the feeling of guilt which the Spirit gives us, any 
thing more than the feeling of the truth ? 

How does the Spirit now testify of Jesus ? 



184 THE FOURTH YEAR, 



KEVIEW OF THE YEAB. 

How many addresses and sermons of our Saviour have we 
had during the year ? 

How many of them were spoken in Galilee ? 

How many in Judea ? 

How many in the city of Capernaum ? 

How many in Jerusalem ? 

Which were spoken first — those in Galilee or those 
in Judea ? 

Which three between his second and third journey 
to Jerusalem ? 

Tell me where they were spoken, and some things 
which happened before and after each of these three. 

Was the first one in Judea, spoken at Jerusalem or 
in the country of Judea ? 

What was the discussion about ? 

Where was the second one that was spoken in Judea ? 

Was the third one in the city or out of it ? 

Where were the fourth and fifth in Judea ? 

Now give the names of all of them, both in Galilee 
and in Judea, in the order in which they were spoken. 
I. The Sermon on the Mount. 

What is the subject of this sermon ? 

Into what three parts is it divided ? 

What is there besides the Beatitudes in the first part ? 

Give the five laws which the Pharisees interpreted 
falsely. 

Show how they interpreted the first and the fifth ? 

Show how our Saviour interpreted the first and the 
fifth. 

Give the three duties which the Pharisees practised 
wrongly. 



THE FOUKTH YEAR. 185 

After our Saviour had given the Lord's Prayer, what 
one of the six parts in it did he particularly speak of ? 

Give the two sinful habits of the Pharisees. 

Explain the true way of laying up treasures. 

Explain the true way of judging others. 

Give the five things which we are to do, to enter the 
kingdom. 

II. The Address to the Twelve Apostles. 

How long was this address after the Sermon on the 
Mount ? 

What are the four parts of this address ? 

Give any of the different parts of the work. 

Give the five things which would be their duty in 
their troubles. 

"What was the disturbance or war which the king- 
dom of Jesus would make ? 

What would be the test of those who loved Jesus in 
this warfare ? 

III. The Address in the Synagogue at Capernaum. 

What had taken place the day before this address ? 

What is the subject of this address ? 

What did he mean by Bread of life ? 

What did he mean by eating his Flesh and Blood ? 

What things do those persons have, who eat his flesh 
and drink his blood ? 

Why did some of his disciples leave Jesus at that 
-time? 

Why did not the twelve leave him ? 

Can any one choose to be Jesus' disciple, unless the 
Father draw him ? 

Will the Father draw him unless he chooses ? 

IV. The Discussion after Healing the Man born Blind. 

When was this miracle done ? 

Who were in the city ? 

Describe the miracle. 

What did the neighbors do ? 

Describe how the Pharisees examined him. 



186 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

Show in how many things they proved the cure to 
be a true miracle. 

What did Jesus say to the man after they cast him 
out of the synagogue ? 

Give the steps of the man's faith. 

Explain how Jesus described c hireling ' teachers. 

Show how Jesus claimed to be God, at the feast of 
dedication. 

What did the Jews stone him for ? 

V. The Address on Riches. 

When did Jesus make this address ? 

What did the young man wish ? 

What did Jesus mean by ' the camel ' and ; the eye 
of a needle ' ? 

Why is it impossible with man and possible with 
God?N 

How much must we give up to have Jesus for' our 
Saviour ? 

VI. The Address on the Mount of Olives. 

How long was this address before Jesus was put to 
death ? 

How did Jesus make plain the subject of watchful- 
ness for his coming ? 

What shuts the door of that marriage-feast against us ? 

How did Jesus make plain the subject of accounta- 
bility to God ? 

What was the difference between the rewards given 
to the servant with five talents and the servant with 
two? 

What was the servant who had one talent condemned 
for, because he did bad things, or did not do good things ? 

How did Jesus make plain the doctrine of the last 
judgment ? 

Who will be Judge ? - 

Is it great things or small things which decide our 
place in eternity ? 



THE FOURTH YEAR. 137 

Are those on the left hand condemned for what they 
had done or had not done ? 

Will it be enough for you to say that you have never 
done any thing against the Saviour ? 

Give a proof-text of the doctrine of eternal punish- 
ment. 

VII. The Conversation at the Table. 

At what table was this conversation ? 

What is the reason why our Saviour says these things 
at that table ? 

What does Thomas ask ? 

What does Philip wish Jesus to do ? 

What does Judas-Thaddeus ask ? 

In what way does our Saviour speak of heaven ? 

Whom will he send to his disciples to comfort them ? 

How are we now to get the Holy Spirit, so that he 
may convert our souls ? 

What did our Saviour say about peace ? 

VIII. The Address after rising from the Table. 
When Jesus said, at the conversation at the table, 

4 Arise, let us go hence/ did they all go out that mo- 
ment ? 

What did our Lord mean by the vine and the branch- 
es ? 

What did he mean by fruit t 

What is it that flows from the True Vine through the 
True Branches, making the True Fruit ? 

In what manner did our Saviour represent the great- 
ness of his love to his disciples ? 

Does he wish us to continue to enjoy his love ? 

How does he tell us that we can continue? 

Why does the world hate Jesus and his followers ? 

Explain how they have no cloak for their sin. 

What does Jesus promise to send, to help his follow- 
ers against the hatred of the world ? 

Why is he called the Spirit of Truth? 



|38 THE FOURTH YEAR. 

Is the feeling of guilt any thing more than feeling the 
truth f 
How does the Spirit now testify of Jesus ? 
Can any one resist the Spirit whom Jesus sends, and 
not hate Jesus ? 
Think now of each one of these addresses, and does not each 
one tell you how you may le saved? 






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